Winning Love in a Game of Dice
by kokoro77
Summary: Roxas never believed in pirates, never believed in violence. In two rolls of 6 dice, he'd better start believing, seeing as he became 'property' and 'slave' to a rowdy, red headed captain.
1. Guns and Prostitues

**it's all about the disclaimer: well, obviously i do not own kingdom hearts...no matter how much i may really really want to...! -sulks- if i DID own it things would be very different. in many different ways. XDD**

**a word of caution, if you please: contains swearing, violence (DX), possible alcohol usage, and pirate booty action because we all like that ;D i'm sure there's more to warn you about but history notes have pretty much knocked my head up something bad! -glares at text book-**

**Author's Note: i'm just popping out story ideas like crazy these days. what's worse is that i have to decide which ones i really WANT to post. -face to keyboard- i just need some metal health days before finals and summer vacation so here i go with this POTC 3 inspired kingdom hearts 2 story...! -nod nod- enjoy chapter 1!**

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Winning Love in a Game of Dice

Chapter 1: Guns and Prostitutes

It was a long time ago when countries were not as far apart as they seemed. At the time, one could gaze over the horizon and catch even the slightest returned gaze off the shore. Needless to say that no one was alone. Most would've called it paradise. Paradise in a sense that guns and canons were always locked, hidden from use. After all, all those things could do was create isolation...and no one asks to be alone...

No one asks to be nobody.

Even pirates.

Pirates never had a clear sense of where to go. Some say that the wind carried them wherever, whenever. Some say that those were the reasons why they blew ashore, obtaining land as their own, transforming them into something no longer worth living for. And as the lands changed, so had the people. With each place claimed, paradise began to file out through the waves.

Greed controlled lives.

As unbelievable as it seemed to say, all pirates had a fear: becoming no one. Avoiding that fear developed as separations grew further and further apart. Once serene people, who became desperate for their interactive lives, soon became pirates themselves. With their numbers great, pirates had nothing to fear of loneliness.

Greed controlled lives.

With the passing years, pirates continued to grow and claim their titles as leaders of the seas, cutting off ocean pathways that once bound people to people. Towns were belittled and destroyed during the most hellish of wars. The guns were stolen, the canons were unchained. Lives were cut short and lives were no longer wished to be lived.

The pirates owned everything and everyone they desired...sometimes winning them through something as simple as child's play.

xxXXxx

A young boy sighed restlessly as he shoved his hands in his pockets, uselessly poking a finger through a hole in one of them. He'd been mugged again earlier that morning from some rowdy kids that decided that they wanted to be land pirates. He knew that was a joke. Land pirates didn't exist. Neither did sea pirates.

He ran his slender fingers through his clean, spiked, blonde hair and moved off to the side of the street where he climbed up onto a shaky fence and sat with one leg up beside him. There weren't many teens like him around The Isles; they'd all been bartered off to sea or stowed away in their homes for the rest of their lives, since their mothers feared for their lives.

He couldn't say that he was entirely happy about the fact that he was one of the few 16 year olds on the island. He could think of a few: his brother, his brother's best friend and some girls that rarely even showed their faces. And when those girls did come around, they were completely obsessive with him that he only wanted to put them in hiding again.

"Pf, pirates," he scoffed and leaned back to stare up at the slowly darkening sky. He couldn't believe that people _actually_ believed in those people. All they were doing was throwing their lives away by hiding.

He took a good glance around the area he was sitting in. Ok, so maybe the buildings and the streets were a little muddy and maybe there was a bad case of prostitutes wandering around every hour of the day. But, regardless, The Isles was considered "safe". No "pirate raid" for millions of years and he knew that it would stay that way. After all, The Isles weren't marked on the map. No one could find it anyway.

"_Hey, boy."_

Snapping back for a moment, he stared down at the ground where he saw a woman, noticeably much older than he was, staring back at him. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her hands were at her hips. Her face was overly "done up" with heavy black eye makeup and deep burgundy lipstick. Her cheeks had to be paler than a corpse. He judged her into the prostitute category. Not this again...

"Look, I'm not going over this again..."

"Save it then, boy," she raised a bony hand in his face and sneered, "I'm not lookin' for gold outta you. Yer friend back down the road paid me to be his little messenger to tell you to get your ass over to him." Picking up her raggedy old dress, she tiptoed away to some cheap paying costumer that had been eying her for the past hour.

Ruffling up his hair again, he jumped down from the fence and turned to the left where the woman had told him to go: a fairly crowded street with a few roaming chickens pecking at people's feet.

Look's like he was heading back home.

xxXXxx

"_Hey, hey, that you? Hey!"_

Slowly, he cracked open the wooden door enough to slip through before closing it shut behind him. He leaned against the doorframe while waiting for the voice to come again. "Sora?" he called out into the dusty, dark workshop.

"_Roxas! Back here, I'm back here!"_

Roxas, he was called, roughly heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. Scratching the back of his neck, he attempted to maneuver through the dark without getting nudged by tools and work tables. The place smelled of sawdust and melted metal, like it always did, but today the room had an unusual lighter scent now. Raising an eyebrow, Roxas extended his hand far enough in front of him before feeling something brush against his fingers. He nearly jumped back.

"What the hell?" He reached up to the ceiling and pulled down on a metal cord which popped open a sky window, letting the last of the bright skyline flood into the shop. When he looked back down, his jaw lightly dropped and his eyes widened. "Sora?"

There Sora was, on the floor, covered in broken boxes and spare parts with his arms and legs sticking out through the openings. His head was just barely peaking out from between a bucket of nails and a broom. In his left hand he was holding on fairly tightly to a sword, one that Roxas hadn't seen before, that had a dark black hilt with two silver blades extending side by side from it.

Roxas bent down over his brother and began pushing crates away, his eyes glued onto that sword. "Don't tell me this is what you called me over for."

Sora chuckled once the last crate was off of him and sat up, turning the sword over and over to examine each blade. "Nah. I actually called you to show you this." He held it out and Roxas had to resist stealing it.

Sora was older than Roxas by a year and was pathetically immature. He had equally spiky hair as his own but it was dark brown instead of blonde. Sora and he had to depend on each other since they were seven years old. Their mother had been sold over seas and their father had been brutally killed in some street activity. From there, the two had to take over their father's repair shop to make a living. It wasn't like it mattered, though. Not many people here battled.

"Sora," Roxas started, grabbing the top of the two blades and lowering it into Sora's lap, "you're not supposed to be sword fighting." That was why the smell was different in there: Sora was sword fighting, not working.

"I'm not fighting. I'm just testing. Riku found this one out at the coves a couple weeks ago and had me fix it up. Neat, huh? Think it might've been from a pirate shi..."

Roxas shook his head before Sora could finish. "Never. They're just a myth, pirates." He shrugged his shoulders and released the sword from his grip. It was awkward touching that thing. He almost felt like he could test it out himself.

"Whatever. You just don't like stories." Sora's eyes lowered back down to the sword as he twirled the tip of both blades in the air. In the corner of Roxas' eyes, he followed their movement. It was amazing how sharp they were. "Anyway, I was testing it out before you came here and I ended up falling over."

"State the obvious." Roxas pushed up from the floor and helped Sora up with him. That was somewhat true: stories weren't that great to him. He had to see it to believe it. To try and move away from the topic, he turned around to a table behind him and opened up one drawer, pulling out two black cloths that he wrapped around his wrist and in between his middle and forth finger.

He tied both off on each hand and flattened out his long, dark brown vest over his short sleeved, nearly transparent, white shirt. He kicked one foot out to straighten out his brown leather boot before turning to do the same for the other. He hated wearing boots. They made him look like the stereotypical pirate.

"Maybe you should put the sword away and get some sleep. You'll need it for working tomorrow."

Sora puffed his cheeks and blew upward to the bangs that fell just over the top of his cobalt eyes. He roughly combed through his hair in the back and raised his eyebrows in disappointment. Sora was a child at heart, really. "What ever you say," he breathed and stuck the sword up on the wall beside his collection of old "pirate" swords. Useless things.

Lazily, he waved over his shoulder at Roxas before stepping further back into the room where the darkness hid another door to a bedroom, the only one they had. Roxas rolled his eyes and shook his head, walking toward the front door where he sat, peering out through a termite hole beside the doorknob.

Even as the night got later and later, people continued to spoil themselves on the streets; treating themselves to booze, card games, gambling and women that looked like they truly were corpses. Sickened by it, Roxas pushed away from the door frame and attempted to let the accordion music and the swaggering curses of the neighbors lull him to sleep. It was his turn to guard the shop tonight, seeing as the lock had been broken for months.

_Yo ho, yo ho...a pirate's life for me.  
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot,  
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.  
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,  
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho._

_Yo ho, yo ho...a pirate's life_

_...for me_

Bang

Roxas twitched his head both sides, his eyes just barely keeping up with his head. He had felt something thumping against the wall behind him but as he looked around the shop, nothing. Suddenly, while he rubbed his eyes to fully wake up, another shot echoed outside, down the street, past the houses, cutting songs and drunken play off. Ignoring his growing headache, he shot up on his feet and knelt down to peer through the hole in the door again.

No people. No games. No music.

"What's going on?" he whispered airily, petrified and unable to move away from the door.

Another shot, this time further away from the last one. There were a couple of screams, belonging to women that uselessly sobbed and pleaded. Another and another. The screams lessened in an instant. No one dared to speak.

"Sora...Sora! Sora!" Roxas scrambled away from the door, tripping over his feet while hissing his brother's name through the dark. As he passed the sky window, he smelled heavy gunpowder entering the room. "SORA!" he tried again, this time managing to get a faint response. He sounded choked.

"Did you hear that?" was the reply back. He stopped running and overheard chains being rattled at his feet.

He vaguely nodded and turned frantically from in front of him to the front door. Nothing like this ever happened before. This shop and one weapon shed down the road were the only places in The Isles that kept guns. He thought they were all locked away. He admitted to being the _slightest bit_ afraid.

"Come on. We're gonna check it out."

"_What?!"_ he asked, throwing his arms out in front of him. "Are you crazy? We'll get killed."

To his surprise, Sora chuckled. He heard something metal scrape across the wall and he knew that Sora had taken down a sword. Fight? Idiot! "There're pirates, Roxas. Think about it!"

Before Roxas could open his mouth, he had something flung at him, a heavy wooden gun with a metal handle and trigger. He ran his fingers across it and tapped the trigger once, loading a unloading the bullets inside. "Sora," he half laughed, "we're not fighting. Besides, there aren't any pirates out there."

"How do you know? Hm?" Sora teased and Roxas felt his brother's shoulder brush right past him. He turned around forcefully and watched his shadow move toward the front door in an eager manner.

"Sora! Don't do this!"

"We'll just watch. It'll be fun."

With a worthless sigh, Roxas slipped the gun into a pocket in the side of his pants and followed after him.

'It could just be street activity,' he thought. He froze for a second before holding the door open while Sora motioned for him to follow outside. 'Although...it could just as easily not.'

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**gyuh, i'm so hungry! i want to change our clock in the classroom so i can run off and eat my bagel...first i need to buy a bagel. D8 anyway, that's besides the point!**

**i hope to update the next chapter after 10 reviews? that chapter reveals -bum bum bum- ...someone. run, roxas, run!! i really hope i can hear what you have to say to inspire me to keep writing! otanoshimi kudasai!**

**_nobody move...! i dropped me brain,  
kokoro77 XDD_**


	2. 2,000 Point Attraction

**Author's Note: gah, the POTC vibe isn't going away! is this a bad thing? -shrug- i don't know what the critics were thinking about two star ratings for that movie! i'm gonna go see it again before school gets out. XDD couldn't ask for anything better!**

**well, seeing as it's still stuck in my head, i still have a lot of creativeness...ness. XDD thank you so much for the people that read and reviewed for chapter one! i'm just...eheh...do i deserve it?? -bows- i keep thinking that my writing isn't happy! DX oh well! i'll just have to wait and see how i progress with practice!**

**hope you enjoy chapter 2! ...roxas is still a'runnin...XO run, run! run to...bum bum bum -is sporked-

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Chapter 2: 2,000 Point Attraction

Moving through the town at night had to be the most disgusting and difficult part of Roxas' life. He didn't do it often, but when he did, he wished he'd been dead. For one thing, the streets all stank of booze and cheap, flowery perfume. Mixed together with vomit wasn't the greatest...

He skipped over the mud-spattered pathway, following Sora by only an arms length. He made sure to keep his steps soft on the ground and he wished that Sora would do the same. They could be shot in the head by now. The whole way, during those sharp turns and near fatal slips, he didn't say a thing. Who could say that someone was waiting around the corner to stab him?

Finally, Sora slowed down on the last turn and crouched down in the dirt, grabbing behind him to pull Roxas beside him. Roxas groaned, covered his mouth to cover up his panting, and stared forward at a widely lit square. Sora knew where all the action was.

The lights lit up the area in a shade of rum orange. To the right were a couple of walk-in bars with squeaky stools and salty roofs. To the left were houses, dark with saltwater with wooden swords leaning up against the doorways; the towns cheap source of protection. Right in the center of the square was a fountain, a small one that five people could stand around at once. Now, there were five women, normal women, bound at the ankles and tied at their wrists which were held behind their backs. They sat completely still on the stone fountain, heads turned toward their feet with their eyes shut.

"Prisoners, you think?" Sora whispered over his shoulder. Roxas didn't answer and nudged him in the side.

He reached over to his pocket and unintentionally wrapped two fingers around the handle of the gun. This looked bad, in all honesty, and he hadn't even seen the ones who caused it yet.

He noticed dead bodies sprawled out at the women's feet, single holes of blood in the back of each one of their heads. Most of them were women that probably tried to resist; a couple were young male teens that probably tried to defend. Heartless.

"_Look here..."_ a stern male voice caught Roxas' attention. It was sophisticated, considering he had an English accent. The man chuckled and finally showed his face in Roxas' line of vision. A blonde man, with a fairly wide chest and broad shoulders stepped up to one of the women on the fountain, scratching his short trimmed beard.

"'Kay, let's move," Sora whispered.

"What?!" Roxas hissed again when Sora, still crouching down, inched out into the light and around the wall. When he saw that the man hadn't noticed, he followed and flattened his back against the wall where several other men were doing the same. Cowards, he guessed. Then again, so was he.

Now he was able to see all the people that started the shooting. One, with an eye patch over his right eye and silver streaks through his jet black hair, carried a pistol in each hand; both hissing out steam. He figured _he _could've started the killings.

All of them were perfectly fit or incredibly thin men dressed from top to bottom in black and white leather clothes. Some of them were normally tall, save for about three that were about his height. He counted their heads...9 of them.

"I told you! They're pirates, I know it."

Roxas nudged Sora again when the blonde haired man pulled his head up and continued to walk around the fountain, flicking a gold coin in his hand the whole time. He stopped, which caused the women to shudder, and tossed the coin before snatching it in mid air. He smiled thinly.

"We're in need of additions to our crew," he said, pointing his chin in the direction of the other 8 men. "Your island happens to be one that's been hiding...so," he chirruped and turned the gold in his large fingers, "we expect there to be a good handful of undiscovered pirates here, hm?"

Sora smiled and winked at Roxas. "Told you so."

Roxas still didn't believe in it.

"...It won't do any good."

The man turned his head down at one woman he was standing in front of and cupped her chin. "What's _that_?" he whispered eerily.

"There's no one here for you to take. No one's willing to go with the likes of you!" Her voice was shaking uncontrollably. What was she doing? Asking for death? Just as Roxas thought it, the man reached behind him and pulled out a short, thin dagger which he drew to the woman's neck. She weakly screamed and men and women on the side lines started screaming themselves.

"No one, huh?" He bared his teeth at her and tensed his hand. Roxas turned away, waiting for a bloody gag to come but it never did. Only another gunshot. The crowd shut up again in dead silence. Even Sora had nothing to say.

Carefully, he cracked his eyes open and turned back around to the fountain. She was dead, but not by the dagger...by a perfectly aimed gunshot to the exact center of the back of her head. The man was still holding the dagger to her neck, jaw dropped. The other 8 of them turned heads toward an alleyway where the bullet traveled from. Roxas followed their example and stared, not realizing that he had rose to his feet.

"_Horrible aim, that time."_ The voice was another man's voice, but it was young and light; nearly relaxed rather than violent. His voice had a light cockiness to it and after some words he said, he carried it out in a husky drone. Roxas felt bumps run up his bare arms and up his spine. Who...?

"S-Sir?" The blonde man asked, formally straightening up. He dropped the woman's body and she fell into the pile of corpses. Roxas cringed and stared back in the direction of the alley. Sir? The guy had to be scary enough to freak out someone as frightening as _that_ guy.

Some seconds later, someone stepped into the orange light, causing the group of men to move off to the side for him to pass through. When they did, Roxas' eyes dilated out of some random rush of pleasure.

The man stood a good foot and a half over Roxas' height, and that was minus the volume of his fire red hair that was neatly styled in spikes of different lengths. A couple of loose strands fell over his slanted, venom green eyes that, even from that distance, Roxas could tell had black makeup outlining them. Under each eye was a diamond shaped tattoo. On his left ear were at least five earrings, placed in a pattern of three silver studs and two gold rings.

His face was narrow, not terribly narrow, as was his neck. Roxas' eyes continued to wander down, observing the man's incredibly thin midsection and wide, curvaceous hips. His legs were longer than most and were perfectly shaped from what Roxas could see from the black pants that clung tightly to the man's skin, which was medium tan.

His outfit wasn't that of a pirate's...at least he thought so. Aside from those tight, black pants that tucked into a pair of folded black boots at his ankles, he also wore a rather revealing black vest with nothing underneath to hide his bare chest and stomach. At his waist, Roxas counted at least three thin belts that were red in color. He figured they were just there for decoration since they couldn't hold up much of anything. Around his neck, to complete the outfit entirely, was a single black necklace with a dull key that just rested on his collarbone.

Roxas lightly shook his head, causing his spikes to bounce. Those goosebumps weren't going away anytime soon. He couldn't tell if it was the fact that he was afraid or if he was actually _attracted _to...no.

The man smirked hazily and took quick, wide steps toward the fountain while the other guys laughed for him.

"He's the captain," Sora whispered, leaning in toward Roxas who wasn't exactly responding, "I can tell."

"Captain..." Roxas repeated to himself. That word just rolled off his tongue so easily.

"It's sad, isn't it? Having to waste lives like that..." He stopped walking and, using the tip of his pistol, ran it through one of the women's hair. She breathed in and held her breath. "Hmph. Well, this is boring. Amazing what you can find off the charts." He talked like an older teenager and even looked like one. He took a while to straighten up and gaze around at the square, his smirk widening as each person seemed to duck away from him.

"So, who's in charge of this island?" He raised his voice somewhat, stared forward and crossed his long arms over his chest. That pistol was still in his right hand.

Roxas turned to the right where the bar was and eyed a brunette 'someone' lounging on one of the stools. Leon wasn't exactly in charge of The Isles. He just happened to be one of the strongest and most attractive guys. What was worse was that he had a slight ego problem to fix. Roxas watched while Leon kept his face straight and stood up from his seat.

"You could say it's me."

The other man turned his neck, cracking it once, and stared at Leon at an angle. "The name's Axel. Captain. I trust you to..." he twirled his fingers nonchalantly in the air, "remember it?"

"He _is_ the captain..." Roxas whispered to himself. Sora probably overheard anyway.

"That's sorta weird, huh? Too wimpy looking."

"Didn't you see him shoot her square in the head?" Roxas replied only to be shut up by Sora's raised finger. Their personalities were changing in the spur of the moment; Roxas suddenly believing in pirates and Sora suddenly regretting belief.

Obviously, this guy was far from wimpy.

As much as Roxas knew that Leon could choke a person with one hand, take a single slash through them with a gunblade or send them running with a death stare, he was pretty sure that Leon wouldn't make it out of this one...he just couldn't. He almost felt like standing between the two...then again, he'd be dead before he could get there.

"Captain," Leon stated, raising his head, "you're purpose here?"

Axel's eyebrows rose while the smirk on his face twisted in disbelief. He uncrossed his arms and let them drop to his side while he chuckled hotly. He leaned back a little and took a step forward. The whole crowd twitched.

"You honestly need me to remind you? Luxord, ooo...not a very trustworthy messenger are you?" Axel smoothly glanced over his shoulder at the blonde man, Luxord, Roxas guessed, who cleared his throat and switched weight between his feet. Axel clicked his tongue and turned back to Leon, raising the silver pistol to the sky before cocking it.

"He'll shoot 'im...he's gonna shoot his own goon!" Sora squealed, nearly in delight at Roxas' feet. Roxas had the sudden urge to kick mud in his brother's face. He wanted to watch this.

Then, to everyone's surprise and relief, the gun unlatched from the back, sending gold bullet shells to the puddles below. With the last bullet out, Axel scoffed and tossed the gun to his feet, uncaringly kicking muddy water over it.

"If you need a repeat," he tucked his right hand in his pocket and continued, "We're here for people worthy enough to serve under me. _Esclavo_."

Leon looked taken aback but his face remained straight. He took his own step forward before taking it back again. "Slaves?"

"Oh, so you understood that? Don't expect anymore, it's the only Spanish I know." A couple of the men behind him snickered. Axel himself didn't laugh. Just watching Leon's perplexed face was entertaining enough.

Leon shook his head somewhat, probably not allowing humiliation, and stared at Axel with his head lowered. "Slaves. That's a heavy request. Pirates such as you should know better than to expect an immediate agreement."

Axel sighed, rolled his neck in boredom and looked up at the dark sky in thought. He nodded to himself before curling his other hand into a fist once, twice...over and over again. Was that meant to be a threat?

"Of course, but, seeing as you're one that knows pirates such as myself, and I _am_ a pirate such as myself, you should know as well as I that pirates never ask for things. There has to be a little...fun to it. There's no such thing as a simple question and answer session, oh no. We pirates need a give and take."

Axel paused after catching the twisted look on Leon's face. Roxas' eyes narrowed while he examined the look on Axel's. He had to be a pirate. He was distorting everything he said.

"Everyone wins, mate."

"Win? You want to play a game?" Leon asked in doubt.

"You have dice on you?"

"So we _are_ playing a game."

"You _do_ have dice."

"Are we playing a game or not?"

"That depends on if you have dice or not."

With a frustrated groan, Leon ducked his hand into his pocket and pulled out two wooden dice that were painted a yellowing color of white with black dots that were slowly chipping off. He held both in his hand and tossed them to the ground where they sat in the mud, expecting Axel to move for them.

Roxas understood this. If Axel went for the dice, Leon would have the chance to go for _him_. Honestly, what good would that do? Nothing.

Axel seemed to think the same thing. He just didn't seem to be taking that as a threat to fight. After all, he'd emptied his pistol. With a cunning smile curving on his lips, he blinked and pointed his chin in the direction of Leon's pocket.

"Gonna need more than that, mate. The game of Greed calls for 6 dice."

"Greed? No one's known how to play that one for years...at least, that's what dad used to tell us, right?" Sora hissed up at Roxas who once again didn't respond. That was true. Greed was never played often because it was considered a 'pirate' game. A superstition.

Those who played it risked having pirates coming to their homes at night to drown them at sea before stealing their dice. It was a stupid sea story. He had to see it to believe it.

Leon reached back into his pocket and fished out four more dice, this time holding them tightly in his fist. "You'll cheat."

"Pft. Cheat? I may be a pirate, but that doesn't mean that I can't play civilized every once in a blue moon. Go on. They _are _your dice anyway. How could I cheat?" Axel's voice rose to an innocent level, the kind of tone that anyone could pull off to mooch off someone else.

With a flick of his wrist, Leon sent the dice in a scattered pile with the other two. Roxas could tell he was disappointed that his first attempt at attacking hadn't worked...and it didn't look like he had a plan B. Axel, on the other hand...he looked like he had a whole book of plans; his eyes were sparkling something awful.

"Well, go on. I don't believe in superstition."

"Then why do you avoid dice games so much?" Axel began taking slow steps toward the pile of dice. Several eyes followed him and trembled because of him. Roxas didn't understand why people hadn't runaway by now. It looked like the situation was now between these two and 3 pairs of dice.

"Judging by the faces of these dice," Axel started while taking three of the dice in between his long fingers, "I'd say that you haven't paid much attention to them." He carefully ran a finger across the top of each one and eventually took the other three in his other hand. "Shame. You can win more than you know in a dice game."

"Fine. Then let me know what I can. State the rules."

"Each man takes his turn in rolling the 6 dice, once on each turn. The score depends on the number of dots that face up on each dice. One 1 gives you 100 points. Triple 2's gives 200 points. Triple 3's gives 300...so on. The most you can win in a roll are six 1's: 8,000 points. Normally the winning player needs 10,000 points..." he turned his hands over to further examine the dice.

From what Roxas could see, he was squinting at them with lips parted. It looked like he could've fallen in love with them. Then again, it wouldn't make much sense for a pirate to afll in love. Axel finally looked back up and his face went straight for the first time.

"I'm feeling impatient so...I'll reduce it to 1,000. That makes the highest roll two 2's, two 3's and two 4's: 800 points. If you win the 1,000, you keep the people and I give you anything you want at this moment, this very time and place. If I win, I keep the people of my choice and they remain with me for as long as I want them. That's the thing I might want most right now, this time and place. Fair?"

Leon opened his mouth to speak only to be shut up again.

"Of course it is. Pirates made up the rules so I'd know them to be fair...you should too, mate, seeing as you know us pirates _so_ well."

"You're a real bastard," Leon ridiculed through gritted teeth, flinging his hand out to demand a dice roll.

Axel just let it roll off him like rain water. He pursed his lips and tossed all six dice into his left hand, shaking them once before sending them flying at Leon's feet. The crowd shook and all eyes followed those dice. Truthfully, they were like fate right now. Roxas' heart pumped violently and he had to shake his hands to dry them out. He was sweating like crazy.

The first four landed and skidded to an immediate stop: two 2's...two 3's...

The final two landed beside each other, far apart from the others. Two 4's.

"800..." Roxas gasped and looked up from the ground to the captain, who looked rather unpleased with himself. It seemed that everything perfect in other people's eyes reflected as corrupt in his mind. He clenched his jaw and glared at Axel intently. It was Leon's roll now.

The dice flew back toward Axel, all landing in separate places from each other. Three 2's, one 4, and two 3's. Only 200 points. That was 800 points away...more like 800 rolls away from 1,000. Leon needed a miracle to win this. Roxas stared out at the crowd while people already began saying their goodbyes.

Sure enough, on the next roll, Axel landed three 1's and three 2's. That was already 1,200 points. Plus 800 made, that an extended win. Impossible...right?

There were scattered groans and wails from the sidelines. Leon rubbed the back of his head, just staring at the ground where his muddy dice were scooped up and caged in Axel's slender hands.

"2,000 points," Leon simply stated in defeat.

"No! You're not gonna take him!" some teenage kid yelled to Roxas' left. Roxas inched to the right and Sora stood up, suddenly looking concerned. He just now realized how 'wimpy' this pirate was.

"I won't let you take them!" The boy went on yelling, standing in front of other teens that refused to react; were too afraid to react. He kept his thin arms stretched over them. Roxas knew it wouldn't do any good; a gunshot could cause them to fall in a second. As he expected, the one man with the eye patch over his eye readied one of his guns at the simple nod from over Axel's shoulder.

His eyes widened again. Something surged right through him, an intense heat that began from his head to his fingertips. If he had to see one more person dead...just one more...

"STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!" Those words just near exploded from Roxas' throat. In the short seconds that it took him to kick up from the ground, run toward the left and stand between a stranger and a bullet, he never once thought about _his_ death. Screams rang in his ears, signaling that the shot had been fired...he just couldn't _hear _it.

With eyes squeezed tight, Roxas felt his arms thrust out to his sides. He thought that it might have been a heroic impulse. But, did being heroic hurt this much? Near collapsing, his bright eyes cracked open, coming to the strange realization that he had protected someone...he just need someone to protect _him_ now.

* * *

**-munches on peanuts- i've been having the biggest craving for peanuts all week. i don't think it's because of the pirates movie. i'm pretty sure its just...a phase? a peanut phase? O.o**

**mft, i keep thinking that i need to lay off hanging stories off high places when i end them! i feel so...mehhh -dies of unoriginality- my sensei was like: "you are very original! so happy! as long as it will keep their faces smiling and clapping they will be like YATTA!!" wow, i love my sensei. X3**

**again with the shooting. axel is a "yarg, shiver me timbers...got it memor..." -slap- no. let's not get into the signature line. let's just stick to axel sparrow...that was even worse to say...! DDX at least 10 more reviews please? they've inspired me so much and i'm sure that they will continue to do so. -nod nod-**

**_...my peanut...s,  
kokoro77_**


	3. Fool's Dice

**Author's note: wow, last day of finals was yesterday and tomorrow is all class parties! -throws confetti- it's great that summer's just around the corner. as of today, i have a live that's begging to be lived out. XDD  
**

**i watched POTC 3 again. yes, AGAIN. why? why not? i can't get rid of the vibe! it's like...changing my perspective on life...plus, i understood the plot line better! heeheehee and, the music is my life soundtrack right now. to the lunch room: jack sparrow theme. in the art room: davy jones locket theme. up the stairs and into the parking lot: hoist the colors and the...asiany sounding one. XP**

* * *

Chapter 3: Fools Dice

"Roxas! Guh, hey! Roxas!" Sora called out for his brother, attempting to break into a heroic impulse of his own only to be grabbed back by two more of Axel's crew members. Roxas already had two of his own: a muscular, dark haired man with braided hair was at his left arm and Luxord took his right arm into his own death grip.

Eyes squinted, Roxas let a short growl escape his throat while he stood there in the mud, completely held back by strangers. A dented bullet was logged in the soggy ground, only inches, _centimeters_ away from his foot. His whole body was shaking and his heart was literally begging to be ripped out, it was beating so fast.

He didn't bother to resist, unlike Sora who was being repeatedly kicked in the shin for it.

All Axel could do was stand there, one arm locked around the shooter's neck, one hand turning the sputtering gun toward the ground. He...literally saved his life just now.

The man with the eye patch swallowed and hesitantly gripped the guns handle only to have Axel shake his head almost harmlessly.

"Drop it," he calmly ordered.

He did just that, turning his eyes away, his face twisted in embarrassment. Roxas could tell that he hated to be ordered around...but he really had no other choice. He watched Axel slowly loosen his arm around the man's neck before walking around him with his eyes still gazing down at what Roxas thought was the bullet.

"Orders, sir," Luxord asked, his voice droned and brusque, yet also unusually obedient. He gave Roxas a rough shake as if he were nothing but a toy.

For the first time since Roxas saw him walk into the square, Axel's eyes turned up from the ground, away from Luxord, away from Leon and the townspeople, to him. He didn't think that staring was normally _that_ sensual, but that could've been the end of him, right there. Someone, a killer, a captain, a _pirate_ was looking at him.

Axel even looked interested. His smiled drifted back to his face, curving up a corner of his mouth almost conceitedly. He knew he was in charge now. The dice proved that. He took small, slow steps toward the three, his eyes only concentrating on one of them; the one with the light peach face and noticeably styled, blonde hair. _He_ was stupid.

By the time Axel was a step away from Roxas, Roxas reacted, twitching his legs away. He almost yelled out but it came out more like an unsure whine. That just made him look _really_ heroic...and Axel noticed. He noticed everything in the world probably.

"You," he started, closing in on Roxas while he did, "are some pirate, mate." He intertwined his fingers behind his back and leaned his face in closer to Roxas' face. His smile widened, showing off his pearly whites. For a pirate, it was amazing, almost awkward, that he was clean; Roxas half expected gold teeth or greasy hair. He hadn't even seen a pirate before.

He wondered: did all captains look like Axel did?

Roxas curled his toes impatiently and stubbornly furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm no pirate," he muttered.

"Oh, but you are. You just don't now it yet...well, that's not true. _Now_ you do, seeing as I just mentioned it. Sooo..." He moved in even closer; so close that Roxas' cheeks tingled. Their noses were extremely close to touching. Roxas widened his eyes and confusedly stared down at Axel's face, swallowing hard when he felt two fingers lightly flip one of his spikes. Axel was actually _playing_ with his hair, twirling it in his wiry fingers. Roxas couldn't exactly say that he enjoyed it. He'd never been touched that way before so he didn't know how to react at all. So, he remained standing, his toes near the point of ripping a hole in his boots and his arms feeling even number than before.

"Sir?" Roxas heard Luxord's voice again, this time extremely, _extremely_ confused.

Axel's eyes fluttered and, with an uncaring face, peered up at Luxord. As if nothing very wrong had happened, he slipped his hand away from Roxas' face and straightened up, towering over all of them, with his fingers still locked behind him. Roxas let out a sharp breath that he'd been holding in forever. He could feel cold sweat beginning to form around his neck.

"What?" Axel asked, naively.

Both of the men briefly glanced at each other over Roxas' head. Luxord cleared his throat. "Orders...?"

Axel scoffed at him, obviously having the time of his life with fooling with people, and daintily half turned in Leon's direction. Leon had just been standing there, one hand cupping his chin and both eyes switching glances between the two captive brothers.

"We'll take him."

Roxas gasped but his throat closed up when the other man at his left shook him hard. What was he saying? Take him? What was so important about him? Roxas felt like he had just been auctioned off; nothing but an item, or, in pirate terms, "treasure".

Leon's eyebrows faintly rose. He un-cupped his chin and motioned his hand in the direction of Roxas. "And?" He didn't sound uncaring, just...confused. Everyone was. Who could figure out this guy?

"I'm taking my fair share of the game. If you remember, like you should've, he who wins the game gets the one thing he wishes for at that moment in time."

"Yes...and?"

"What in the bloody hell do you mean 'annnddd'?" Axel waved his hands in front of his face.

"Who else? I'm keeping my part of the deal as well."

Axel clicked his tongue and shook his head pathetically. With one hand raking through his crimson hair, he turned back around to the captive Roxas who had been staring off into space.

He couldn't believe it...him? Why him?

"You can't have much of a crew wi..." Leon was cut short.

"Just _him_." Axel took his hand away from his head and pointed a finger toward Roxas' chest. Again, again he was staring at Roxas like he'd done something horribly wrong. Was this punishment, maybe? Maybe he'd done something wrong? But what good would being on a pirate crew be? He wouldn't actually _learn _anything. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't blend in. He couldn't go, and that was fact.

"Roxas? Why? Why would...what're you going on with?! You can't just take _only _him! No, no, I mean, you can't just _take_ him!" Roxas quickly shot his head to the right to see Sora stupidly attempting to break free from the other two men's' grip. He had his teeth bared and his feet were wildly digging into the ground. One of the men, a scrawny, skinny one, held on with both arms linked around one of Sora's arms. He bit his lower lip and stared at Axel with a look that screamed "HELP ME".

Roxas had a feeling in his gut that this would develop and end badly. He turned back to Axel who maintained his insensible expression. He watched Axel reach behind him and carefully unhook another pistol from a latch on his pants. Soon, he had it raised, sideways, its rusted silver end pointing heartlessly to Sora's head. He reacted the instant he even saw Axel move.

"NO!" he growled, his own feet moving just as violently as his brother's. Both of the men that were holding Sora froze. Sora even paused. His breathing hitched and his dark blue eyes flashed as he stared into the end of that gun. No one in the audience dared to scream again.

It looked like Roxas' reaction was all that Axel needed. He tilted his head, removed his finger from the trigger and held it at his waist. Roxas' breathing was racing at an uncontrollable level. Sora could've been _dead_. If one more person died...

Sora was still staring at that same spot where the gun had been. Axel's back turned on him and he moved back toward Roxas. He must've hurt the boy pretty badly, seeing as his lips were shaking and his breathing mimicked that of a person running from death.

This time, he stepped behind Roxas and studied him further, eyes traveling over the boy's back and legs. He stopped when he made a full circle around and, with soft eyes, signaled his approval with a nod for both Luxord and the other man; he didn't bother to look away from Roxas.

"Listen here, mate," he started, "since you were such a good sport about me coming here, I'm willing to go easy on you."

"Meaning?" Leon asked, standing his ground.

"Meaning that you get whatever it is you want at this _very_ moment." With a brisk wave of his hand, the remaining group of goons that had been standing beside the fountain turned back around toward the alleyway and quickly shuffled off. Roxas watched their bodies become swallowed by the dark with heavy eyes. He tried his hardest not to look back at Axel. Not only did he hate him, he knew he'd collapse in doing so.

Leon didn't respond, thinking that it was nothing more than a pirate joke.

"No worries. I'll take care of it. You don't even have to mention _a thing_." Chuckling haughtily, Axel finally looked away from the boy and broke into a stride after the group that had suddenly disappeared. Roxas could hear them all yelling rowdily through the city, toward the docks, he figured.

Just when the two forced Roxas to wake up his legs, Roxas realized that he was actually being taken away; away from home, away from Sora, away from his life. His head spun to the side while the two "escorted" him away from the square. He dug his feet into the mud to slow down, getting a slap upside the head for it.

"Sora! I don't...what'm I supposed to do?!" He was really that scared.

Sora's head lifted and, before he could reply, he was tossed back to the ground by the two other men. They both kicked at his sides before following after the rest of them. Sora coughed once, not bothering to run after his brother. If he did, that risked both of them, possibly the whole town, dying.

"I won't let them hurt you!"

"How?! How do you know that they won't?!"

"_Trust_ me!"

"Get on, you! GO!" With a sharp kick in the back of the leg, Roxas groaned in pain and returned to walking against his will. He felt his head being grabbed and forced to look forward. Why couldn't they just blindfold him? That would make the experience less stressful, less hurtful. As if the world heard that, he turned a corner into the dark alley where his sight literally was stolen away from him. He could tell that Axel was walking ahead of them; that annoying laugh was echoing in his head.

He heard something being latched onto a wall ahead of him. The two men stopped walking. Before he could even take in another strained breath, they forced him to start up walking again.

Axel's laughing grew darker and shadier. Were all pirates like him?

The smell of alcohol and the sound of music began drifting away. Roxas knew that he'd already left the town. The Isles...wasn't worth living for anymore.

xxXXxx

"Do we toss him?"

"We can't act for ourselves; it's captain's orders."

What Roxas didn't understand, was _why_ they couldn'tact for themselves. Why did they _have_ to listen to the captain's orders all the time? If he saw things correctly, these men had all the power in the world...then again, Axel had the perfect aim. He wondered if that was what pirates did for a living: serve. Captains were at a different league than pirates.

With his bangs messily hanging in his face, Roxas hung his head and kept his entire body limp. If the two men had let go, he would've collapsed onto the soggy dock. He wasn't exactly sure as to why he was so exhausted. No, he wasn't tired...just traumatized. That scene of a gun being held to his brother's head wasn't leaving.

He didn't get much time to think about what was going to be the outcome of his own self.

"_How long you gonna be standing there?"_

Roxas' body lightly swerved when both men turned their heads to the right, dutifully locking eyes with their captain, the one that they absolutely needed to, _had_ to obey. He continued to stare at the dirty planks below his feet, picturing the black water underneath.

"What do we do with the boy, sir?" Luxord asked; his voice collected.

Roxas half expected an order along the lines of "death-by-drowning" or "abandonment on some ghost island". They both sounded like pirate-y things in his mind. When he heard heavy steps coming in their direction, he unintentionally raised his chin and flicked his eyes to the left. Axel was crouched down to his level again, scanning over every little detail in his face. Needless to say that it was too close for comfort...but Axel saw otherwise.

"Boy...hmph. Why do you call him boy if he's got a name?" Axel asked, resting a hand atop Roxas' shoulder.

Luxord stammered a bit. The other man coughed once and replied, "He hasn't bothered to tell us, sir." That was the first time that Roxas heard his voice. It was sleek and deep; another English accent like that of Luxord's.

Roxas felt Axel give him a soft squeeze on his shoulder. He blinked, thinking about thinking before acting, and ended up doing the exact opposite. His eyes quivered and traveled to Axel's face where they stayed, unblinking. Bad move. Can't be reversed.

"Well, then," Axel began, smiling seductively, "every pirate has a name."

"I-I told you: I'm not...a pirate." Roxas kept his voice hushed, attempting to gloss over his shaking tongue with defiance. It wasn't doing much good.

Axel chuckled, matching Roxas' speaking volume, and gently tapped his fingers against the boy's shoulder. Axel knew he could feel that; he was biting his lower lip uncomfortably.

"How do you explain your lying, then? You're very good at it...better than _many_ pirates..." He left his sentence dangling, squinting one eye as a signal for an answer. Sure, Roxas caught it. But...

He drew in a sharp breath of salty air and, with both eyes shut, answered, "Roxas." Strangely, he didn't regret it. He had to shut the man up somehow; his voice was driving him mad.

"Good," Axel chirruped and pushed away from "Roxas". So that was the boy's name. It wasn't common. _Perfect_ for a pirate name. He didn't have to come up with one for him. Brilliant, just brilliant. With a pleased click of his tongue, Axel spun around to face the open water.

"Take _Roxas_ on board and keep him on deck until we're all set for sail again."

"Sir, wouldn't the...brig...?"

Axel waved his hand. "No, no, deck. Decks are good. Weren't you listening? Do you need a repeat? A re-_name_ even? Poop deck. Sound better? Good, take him to the poop deck then!"

Both men waited for a couple of seconds, probably to analyze at least half of the captain's words, before picking Roxas up by the arms again, letting the top of his shoes just barely brush with the ground. He nearly complained about it hurting, but decided against it.

It wasn't until now that he actually spotted the ship. Well, it was no surprise that no one caught immediate sight of it; it blended right in with the other ships parked in the docks. He couldn't imagine how exactly it managed to sail, though; every single canvas had hole in them, big ones and small ones...it made the ship legally useless.

Before Roxas had the chance to scan the entire outside of the ship, he was interrupted by a sudden outburst of cackling heading his way. He straightened his head out and nearly tripped over himself when the two men swept him up and dragged him up an elevated plank that swerved and creaked as they crossed it.

"New crew member, ey?"

"Scrawny looking thing, isn't he?"

"Can you believe the captain chose only one? There's nothin' in 'im!"

"Oy, shut your mouth and get back to your stations!" Luxord bellowed, nearly breaking Roxas' eardrum in the process. The members, who had been yelling sourly, followed that 'order', continuing to spit gossip while they wrapped thick ropes around poles and tied off heavy canons to the sides of the deck. If that had been Axel that made the command, one: someone would be dead, and two: they would all be done with their work by now.

He was a real bastard that way.

As he thought about him, Roxas' eyes began to venture around on their own, completely oblivious to the ocean and the town below. Where could he...? He didn't have the time to finish; the black haired man shook his arm so violently that he thought his arm would pop out of its socket.

"Ow..." he whispered, not expecting the two to hear that, and received a sharp kick to the back of his ankle. He bit his tongue and tried not to twitch.

"Hold your tongue, boy," the other man grumbled, leaning toward Roxas' ear. Roxas almost shot his head away, but figured that walking was an important part of his life. To add to his pain, scattered laughs and words went on floating amongst the crew. Nearing a mental breakdown, Roxas lightly shook his head and shut his eyes. He couldn't imagine himself staying on the ship. A pirate? Not likely. Not...

...why did the talking die down?

"_Yo, ho, haul together,_

_hoist the colors high._

_Heave ho,_

_thieves and beggars,_

_never shall we die..."_

"_That_ song..."

"Think there's a reason behind it?" the other man asked.

"Wait for captain's orders."

With eyes still shut, Roxas slightly raised his head again, hearing the song pass by him again. Did he hear it before?

"_Yo, ho, haul together,_

_hoist the colors high._

_Heave ho,_

_thieves and beggars,_

_never shall we die_..."

"Captain's singing."

The song abruptly ended and was replaced with soft murmuring from the crew. Roxas couldn't put a finger on _what_ they were saying. The sound of Axel singing that one song was still fogging up his head. The way he sang it...eerie. It could've been played at someone's funeral...

_Funeral?_

"_Open your eyes, Roxas."_

He knew the one person that would call him by name now. Feeling strangely comfortable, he faintly opened his eyes half way and turned to his right where Axel was half leaning over the railing, staring at him again. An unfamiliar, cold smile was drawn on his face.

"He looks old enough to hold himself up, doesn't he?" Axel asked quietly, raising both eyes to the two men on each of Roxas' arms. It didn't take them long to understand that and immediately release their big hands from Roxas. He nearly fell on his back but he was pulled forward, now with a pair of heavy, metal handcuffs to prison him.

Panting, Roxas stared down at his hands. This was definitely hell.

"It's a nice town you've got, Roxas. You, of course, agree." Axel's voice lowered even further, almost as if all he said was meant for one person alone. Roxas didn't respond and held his cuffs at waist level, still staring at them.

Axel let out a single laugh and turned his body halfway toward the dark city below. It looked so far away, now that Roxas thought about it. Now he knew why pirates had such ego issues; their ships literally towered them over targets. Just the thought of that made Roxas quiver.

"Take a good look at it." He quickly glanced over his shoulder and had the two men leave for some unfinished work. He was actually alone with this guy...a captain.

Realizing that Roxas had raised his head and bothered to look back at his home, Axel raised one hand and rolled his fingers. Roxas watched them tentatively, his eyes widening after each second. This time, he gathered up what little energy he had threw his body against the railing.

"_...a pirate's life for me." _Roxas' head flung to the side where he momentarily stared at Axel while he began another song. Only the sound of the wind accompanied him. The ship returned to being dead. He stared back to the city again.

"_We kindle the char, inflame and ignite,_

_Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho..._

_We burn up the city..._

_We're really a fright..."_

"No..." Roxas whispered to himself, adding the lyrics of the song with his thoughts. "No...!" he repeated in a shaking voice.

This was exactly the reason why Axel had Roxas stand on his own, why he had the boy chained and cuffed. He just looked so _helpless_. With hand still raised, Axel twiddled his fingers and snapped. Child's play to him, mass murder for Roxas.

"SORA!!" Roxas tried throwing his hands over the deck but the chains held him back. Sweat began dripping down his face as he felt a rush of heat against his face. As soon as Axel snapped, an accurately placed chain of fire bombs ignited through every street and alleyway. There was no screaming. Roxas imagined that there wouldn't be much time to scream.

Stunned, he stared out at each mass of flames join together toward the town square, licking and madly hissing when they passed each other. They took everything they touched, killing it, turning it into nothing but black. Roxas didn't want to picture what the burning was doing to the people...

Sora was gone...Sora was all he had. There was a reason to Axel's singing. Pirate songs weren't superstition.

"Drink up, me 'earties..._yo, ho_."

"Y-You...you..." Roxas stammered, backing away from the edge. His eyelashes stung every time he felt an ash touch his face. He wished they could've burned him...just killed him. His life wasn't worth living. _Axel destroyed him_.

With that thought, Roxas' head ceased to spin. His knees wobbled and his feet shook, eventually pulling him over to one side. With a useless sob, Roxas swerved and collapsed on the damp deck, blacked out with his knees pulled in close to his body.

All he had was himself.

"_To the brig, sir?"_

"_No. Later."_

"_We can't leave him there, sir."_

"_Obviously. Hm...I'll take him. Besides, it's not part of a captain's schedule to sleep. My bed's practically empty."_

"_Sir, I..."_

"_**That's**__ captain's orders, Xaldin."_

"_Y-yes, captain."_

_"Roxas...What a pirate."_

He didn't feel guilty about taking him. Pirates never feel guilty about breaking rules. It just so happens that Leon wasn't looking close enough to the pairs of Fool Dice being rolled in the game. Roxas belonged to the ship...

...mostly to the captain.

* * *

**axel is a cheater, cheater pumpkin eater/rum drinker.**

**but i love him. XDD -tackleglomp- roxas is getting special treatment? possibly. dungeon's are attractive too, ya know. -nodnod- -passes out from exhaustion- DX 10 reviews? please? and thank you? -sleeps-**

**_ZZZ,  
kokoro77_**


	4. Fondling

**Author's note: what's up guys? -bows- gosh, i'm so sorry about this late update...well...i'm not even sure if it's really that late an update because i haven't quite adjusted to the time here yet...bahhhh!**

**anyway, after a full week of adjusting and typing for only ONE HOUR every night (i've been so sleepy!!), i managed to buy myself some internet time to update! i've been bugging my dad to buy me some internet minutes for the past days...but he told me to wait until last minute...**

**THAT'S ENOUGH RAMBLING NOW! ehhh. my suffering isn't happy for you, is it? buuuut, axel fondling a certain someone? ...possibility of happiness. XOOO

* * *

**

Chapter 4: Fondling

_Roxas?_

_Hm?_

_What happens now?_

_What d'you mean?_

_I mean, now that we're by ourselves...we don't have much of anyone._

_I...dunno._

_I guess there's always dad's shop. We could live there. Even make a living there, don't you think?_

_Sora?_

_Hm?_

_Is it hard? Growing up, I mean._

_Don't tell me you're afraid of getting bigger. Remember what mom used to say?_

_Mom?_

_She said that you're supposed to take care of yourself...and the people that you really care for. It doesn't even matter if they refuse you, or if you refuse them. No one's really your enemy, right? Doing things that you might not want to do...that's normal. Growing up._

_I...guess._

_Roxas?_

_Yeah, Sora?_

_It's ok to change. You can leave things behind, if you really need to. There's a reason for everything._

_Since when are you smart?_

_Heheh, not used to hearing words like that, eh?_

_Not really. But, I guess you're right. You too. You can leave things too...just, don't leave me, 'kay?_

_Yeah. Promise. Just learn to put up with me, yeah?_

_Haha, that's a promise._

Promise? For some reason, the very first thing that he thought about when he got up was his brother. Why? He couldn't pinpoint the reason and it was growing to a point where he wished he hit his head hard enough to forget. He groaned and reached a heavy arm out to his side, letting it dangle in midair before the weight pulled it back down.

"Huh?" With a jerk, Roxas lifted his head and blinked down at his arm. He heard chains shaking when he moved it. Chains...cuffs. So, it _wasn't_ fake. There's a reason for everything. There was a reason why he was thinking of Sora. And, just like that, he _needed _to forget.

"Sora." Roxas softly squinted his eyes and ducked his head in closer to his chest. It was useless to think that acting sad about his death would eventually calm him down. Sighing, he managed to pull his chained hand up to his body. There, he pulled it close to him and nudged his chin against a blanket.

Wait. Since when were there blankets?

Stupefied, Roxas pulled his head back out from under the covers and glared down at his body, partially covered up with a neatly patterned, maroon, black and white blanket. The sides were ripped, most likely intentionally for design, and just barely covered his ankles.

Trying hard (he still had the stupid cuffs on) he wiggled far enough to place his back against the wall beside the spot where he had been sleeping. He took a good look around him, keeping his hands rested in his lap. The whole room was constructed of dull grey wood, from walls to ceiling to floor. The only source of light for the room came from three wide ranged windows, placed upon the very back wall, which were dusty and littered with webs in their corners.

Below those windows was a desk, a rather long one which was cluttered with...whatever someone could imagine was on it. Roxas didn't bother to concentrate on one item on that desk, thinking that he'd just get dizzy trying.

Aside from that desk and the bed, there really was nothing more to say about interior design.

The corner where he'd been sleeping in was slightly elevated from the wood floor with two steps that led from the bedside down. The bed he was in wasn't that huge, or luxurious for that matter.

'You'd think,' he thought, 'that pirates would splurge all they had on gold furniture and rum. You'd think that their ships would be carved out of gems and that they had a whole level inside that stored the booze.'

Pirate stories. Now he had proof that they were nothing but wasted breath.

Then, it occurred to him, he was in a _pirate_ ship. In a _bed_. Bed? Why the hell here?

In a near panic, Roxas muttered to himself through gritted teeth while he attempted to slip his hands through his handcuffs. He kept a close eye on the door to his right and the windows to his left.

He made a promise to Sora. He kept it for that long and _wasn't_ about to abandon it. Just thinking about it, Roxas grew persistent and brought his foot up, sticking it in between his arms where he pushed at the chains.

"Come on, come on, come on," he whispered, just barely feeling his bruised fingers slipping out. If he was fast enough, he could jump through the window and swim to shore before they set sail. That was logical. "Come on! Get..."

With his back still pressing against the wall, Roxas heard a sudden click from behind him. He swung his head around and stared down at his leg. He inched it against the wall against until the sound came back. Right...his gun. If he remembered it right, he could manage to tip the trigger.

Worth a shot. No pun intended.

He gave couple more nudges with his leg until he heard the gun load correctly. "Got you."

"_Now, what'd I tell you about being a pirate, Roxas?"_

Roxas gasped and all muscles in his body locked. He kept his foot pressed against his wrist, unable to decide whether to drop it or for it to stay that way. His eyes were glued open to stare down at his own hands, bruised and muddy. He suddenly remembered why he was here, what had happened earlier.

"I mean, _look_ at you. You're completely stubborn about wriggling yourself out of a tight spot. Don't tell me that's not pirate-y at all." Axel's voice was just as sarcastic and innocent as before, and Roxas hadn't even heard it all too much. Something about his tone made him freeze. A bad habit.

He swallowed, feeling his throat clench afterward, and slowly turned his head away to stare at the blanket laying at his left. He made the mistake of not watching his breathing.

Axel could _easily_ see him shaking, even some steps away. Something about it was indescribable. What was so amusing about watching that boy tremble?

"Why...am I in here?" Roxas asked quietly. He wasn't sure if he really wanted Axel to answer that.

Pushing away from the doorframe, Axel's eyebrows raised as his eyes greedily observed Roxas when he was turned away. "Why?" he repeated, walking smugly in his direction.

Roxas heard the footsteps dragging along behind him, but he pretended to ignore them, taking in deep breaths as each one came closer. Eventually, they stopped. In the corner of his eye he could see the captain standing right in front of him, most likely staring at him again. He honestly didn't get it. What was so interesting about him? His closed off throat prevented him from asking.

"You're being locked up, mate."

"Why in this room?" he shot back.

Axel chuckled and bent down, reaching a hand out to Roxas' face. When he was sure that Roxas didn't notice it, he let his fingers cup his chin.

Roxas reacted instantly, bugging his eyes out when he was forced to face Axel with a simple pull. He shut his mouth and anxiously tapped his teeth together.

Axel's smile curved into something evil and his eyes narrowed in a heartless manner. The boy seriously needed some teaching done to him. "You're lucky I went soft on you. If I hadn't, you would've been unconscious in a boxed off cell with nothing but a bed of seaweed. Not a glorious thought, is it?"

Roxas blinked several times and switched glances in every possible direction...just not forward.

Axel caught this and took a second to think. "But, since you sound so bold about it...I see that you're old enough to, not only stand, but experience punishment as well." With his palm pressing a bit against Roxas' throat, Axel could feel his breathing delay in his hand. If he could control his breathing that way, what else could he possibly control? This boy was like a dog, a toy, even.

To test his own curiosity, Axel twitched two fingers ever-so-slightly and carefully inched them up Roxas' cheek while pushing his face closer in. Being so close, he had the perfect opportunity to scan the littlest details in his face. So, his eyes were really that blue, then? Not fake? His lips were thin, pale and quivering against his cheek. It suddenly occurred to him that they were nearly exchanging breaths with each other.

"I think that's _very_ reasonable," Axel whispered into Roxas' ear through clenched teeth.

Without thinking, Roxas shook his head violently enough to wiggle his face away. Hotly, he panted and sent death glares into the captain's face. It was honestly too close for comfort. Pirates were so unaware of personal space.

_Click_

Axel backed his head up and eyed the ceiling. "Hm?"

Roxas instantly held his breath, holding his leg still.

"You hear that?" Axel turned his head back down, gently cocking his head in a cute angle.

Roxas shook his head so hard that his shackles jingled. That didn't support his answer very much. It was obvious that he was hiding something.

_Click_

"Ah, I get it," Axel paused and slapped a hand atop Roxas' head, holding it against the wall, "you're hiding something."

When Roxas failed to reply, Axel decided to take action. Like he said, the boy needed to learn some manners. "Where's the gun?" Secretly, he used his other hand and edged it against the bed toward Roxas' left foot.

Again, Roxas shook his head. He was getting dizzy. "I have _nothing_ to hide from you."

"Ah, ah, ah. Just because you're a pirate doesn't give you the complete right to lie _all_ the time. In the presence of those higher up than you," Axel's fingers began tiptoeing up Roxas' ankle, "you're advised to respect, meaning that truth _does_ play a major part, understand?"

While Roxas _did _understand what was being told to him, he didn't pay much attention. If he really was a pirate like Axel said, then he had his own rights. He had the right to keep words to himself. You can't trust a pirate.

Besides, he wasn't about to toss away _Sora's_ gun.

Axel scoffed and blinked slowly, dragging his hand further up until he stopped midway at Roxas' thigh. Right when he stopped was when Roxas caught him, but he didn't go against it. He couldn't understand it. _Why not?_

While Roxas expected something completely passionate to happen, Axel only kept on task: distracting the boy while he reached into his pocket and yanked the gun away. With the weapon in his possession, Axel twirled it around his finger and tucked it away behind him. Roxas took in another normal breath when he felt the weight of Axel's body move away from him.

"You should know better than to keep a gun pointed downward when it's tucked away."

"What?" Roxas breathed, finally resting his leg back down.

Axel rolled his eyes and positioned both of his hands at his hips. He didn't seem to care at all. "If it's pointed down, you risk bumping the trigger which causes the bullet to shoot toward the ground. It can then ricochet and come back toward you or one of your mates," he paused and walked toward the door, holding it open with one hand while he spoke over his shoulder, "That, or you could just ruin a good pair of pants."

Roxas growled and shook his cuffs in frustration.

"Oh, and for attempting a getaway," Axel raised a finger and continued, "you get the brig now. I'll have one of my men come down and escort you." He smiled cunningly. It was hard work, pulling everyone's strings.

"What?" Roxas snarled.

"It's what you get for choosing your own fate, _Roxas_."

xxXXxx

With a heavy thud, Roxas literally flew across the air and landed in a painful position on the disgusting floor. As he barely managed to sit himself up, legs pulled in to his body, he stared through one open eye at the door; a rusty, seaweed infested, metal-bar door.

He shook some loose hair away from his eyelashes and watched as the other goon walked off, pounding his feet up the stairs and out of sight.

He wasn't a very talkative pirate. Roxas figured that he kept most of his amusement and joy to himself. Then again, his frown could've just been a part of his personality. Maybe he just wasn't one to pillage and plunder.

Biting his lip, Roxas' eyes traveled around yet another unknown environment. There wasn't much to see; just darkness, wood and metal bars separated him from the world. What was the point?

Grumbling slightly, he glared down at his knees and lowered his forehead against the cold chains that were still binding his wrists. He wondered how long he would have to stay down in the brig for. If he tried to escape again, what was the next level of 'punishment'?

Well, below that room he had been in was the brig; below the brig was the sea. Great, he would be thrown to sea.

Maybe if he stayed put in the same position long enough, he'd force himself to pass out again.

The floor creaked when the boat gently rocked to the right. Roxas felt stupid, remembering that he had thought that the ship was still parked in the docks of The Isles. The truth was: they had to be at sea for at least hours; _miles_ away from home. Home...

Irritated, Roxas thrust at the floor beside him with his foot, not really caring that it hurt.

"_Hey, listen up."_

Roxas gasped and lifted his head enough to peer over his knees ahead of him. He didn't turn his head in the direction of the voice, thinking that it would just make him look idiotically weak.

"The captain's asking for you on deck."

What? After he'd _just_ been slammed up in a cell? What could possibly be going through the captain's head? Still, Roxas couldn't take being in some smelly cell for very long. After dragging his back against the wall, he stood up and shook his wrists, trying to get them to wake up. He couldn't see the face of the man opening the door for him, but he didn't much care.

All pirates were the same to him.

* * *

**this chapter was supposed to be longer, but i cut it in half because i feared for my head. -shivers- besides, i read somewhere that, if an author is bored with their writing, then their readers will suffer the same boredom. please don't be bored!! -hides-**

**nuuu...i ruined my new french tip. gah, i'm supposed to be having a great vacation but i can't even enjoy it if i have to pay for my internet by the hour!! -kicks stupid policy- DX**

**i'm sorry if this chapter was shorter than most of the ones that i wrote in the past. guh. it was written from a deflated mind that was pushing to survive through 8 o clock at night. DX forgiveness?**

**please bare with me with the updates coming in. i know they're a little scattered, but i'm trying. i'm heading to the beaches for a four day trip so i'll be (depressing as it is) without a laptop. forgiveness times 2? -sporked-**

**_some vacation, eh?  
kokoro77_**


	5. Blaming the Rum

**Author's Note: oy, two chapters about drunkness at once...goodness...when will the madness end?! see the latest chapter to my sequel to sex ed had bar stuff...and now the pirates are getting all the action...with more booty attached. oh, roxas, you sneak. XDD **

**i need to go fine a manga store...like now. XO the manga is cheap where i am. wahh! it's sooo much like heaven...a polluted heaven. whee!**

**is axel a sadist? possibly...XO**

* * *

Chapter 5: Blaming the Rum

"_Ah, so he's cooperating, is he?"_

"_He's a true pirate already."_

"_Will you shut up? Talking nonsense like that is what gets you thrown overboard."_

"_You're the bastard that's talking all the nonsense. Just lookit 'im; lookit yourself! He's more of a pirate than you!"_

"_You're just saying that because it makes you look like the captain."_

"_Hey, calm down, both of you."_

"_Who's paying attention to you?!"_

It was definitely chaos when Roxas stepped on board. Even one step on deck and everyone on the crew knew he was there. They immediately broke out in sneering at him; a good majority of them bothering to thrust their hands out and push him over to one side into the arms of another member.

The whole time they played, Roxas kept his eyes at the floor and his face straight. It wouldn't make sense to show emotion.

It had gotten pretty dark outside with the last streak of orange blending into the darkest purple out on the horizon. Roxas couldn't spot the stars just yet, but it wasn't like he wanted to. They'd just remind him of home too much.

The pirate that had let him out of the cell was at his left arm, not even holding on tightly with his thin hand. He was the same one that had sent him down the brig earlier. He led him through the crowd, frown drawn on his face, eyes staring straight ahead in a mysterious manner. He didn't much care that people were tossing him along with Roxas.

Biting his lower lip, Roxas cringed when he felt someone bump against his already bruised wrists.

"_Looks like he's feeling the pain, isn't he?"_

"_Not enough for him?"_

Before he could turn to the owner of the voices, Roxas felt every muscle in his body fail. With a rough punch to his right arm, he lost his balance and shot to the left. The man that had been holding him obviously noticed it before it happened at let go, taking a single step in front of him to avoid getting caught in a tangle.

"Guh!" Roxas nearly choked when his body collided with the nearest 'something'. He couldn't tell what it was since his eyes were forced shut from the pain. Trying to find the smallest bit of comfort, he shifted on his feet and nudged his cheek on what he was leaning against, groaning miserably.

He didn't expect the thing to be warm...or soft. At first he imagined a pole, a canon, something hard that would make him bleed for show. With curiosity getting the better of him, Roxas cracked one eye open when he felt something being laid on his shoulder.

Shivering, his eyes traveled to his arm where he spotted a hand gripping him. Not good.

Why was it that all their meetings began like this?

"Nice to see that you were so eager to visit," Axel said, bending down to Roxas' height with a grin on his face. Their eyes instantly locked. Roxas had no other choice but to keep it that way. Just like that, the crew fell silent and all that was left to hear was the moaning of the ship.

Roxas let out a sharp breath and calmly blinked his eyes, just waiting for Axel to continue. It suddenly occurred to him that he had been nuzzling Axel's chest.

"Enjoying your time in the brig?"

"Not as much as you'd like me to," Roxas replied, keeping his head straight even while Axel began circling around him like some kind of vulture.

"What, you honestly think that I'd want you to stay down there? It was your own decision, right? I thought that my room was more suitable for you."

While a couple of the men surrounding them began to snicker, Axel stopped at Roxas' left side and leaned in closer to his ear. Roxas swore that he could almost feel him smirk against his skin. "_I _wouldn't even want to be sent down to that _dark_, _disgusting _place."

Now that Roxas thought about it, and since Axel put it that way, comparing that room to the brig left him wondering if he'd done a stupid thing in trying to break away. But that _was_ Axel's room. Not the best place to be...right?

Roxas balled his hands into fists and gently shook them; listening to the jingle of the chains and feeling it vibrate into his arms. "You wanted me for something?"

Axel cutely smiled and pushed away. He tapped a finger against his lips and gazed out at the sea, his teal eyes flashing something brilliant. With his back still turned and a hand on one jutted out hip, he replied, seeing that the boy was so keen to know.

"Being a part of this crew means that you partake in the jobs of the crew. It only makes sense; crew members were meant to care for the ship. Without a ship, we don't run anywhere...and that would be...boring. I hate boring. But, no more rambling." Axel's voice suddenly dropped and became so serious and deep that it sent chills up and down Roxas' body.

"First things first," Axel slapped a hand against the railing of the ship, "the deck needs a good rub down every now and then. Transitioning from that you can use what water you have left to clean out the canons, don't you dare get the gunpowder wet, and then re-tie them. Speaking of re-tying," he then took his hand and grabbed onto a nearby net that hung from the edge of the railing towards the top of the sails, "tighten all the ropes in these nets. We don't want people stupidly falling to their death. That's wasting lives, which is a shame."

Roxas slightly dropped his jaw. He honestly had to do work?

"If you're a real dare devil, which I know you are, you'll climb up the net to the canvases where you can start patching those holes. Come back down and make sure there's enough candles left in the lanterns for when it gets dark out. The rest of the work goes to the rest of the crew, got that?"

Still processing the work through his head, Roxas forced himself to nod a bit unhappily. Honestly, with all that work assigned to him, what was left for the crew?

"Oh, almost forgot."

Roxas rolled his eyes and grumbled in his head when he heard that.

"You can clean the windows in the captain's quarters. Haven't been able to see clearly through them for a while now. You can start doing that when everything is taken care of. Sound good to you?"

As much as it _didn't_, again Roxas had no choice. If he didn't want to "walk the plank" or what ever the hell pirates did to kill, he had to do as the captain ordered. He had to be able to survive long enough...hopefully learning about the ship in the process. If he did that, maybe he could manage to escape.

"When do you expect me to start?" he asked, coldly.

"You can start right now. And do it fast so you don't get caught in a rain cloud if the ship happens to go through one." Chuckling, Axel slowly turned back to face all of them. With that stare, Roxas thought, Axel managed to get the rest of the crew scrambling to their feet, returning to their stations on deck or below.

He was left with his hands still bounded together.

"And how to you expect me to start working if I can't even roll my wrists?" Roxas cocked an eyebrow at Axel. He finally thought that he had him in a dumb moment.

But when Axel continued to stare down at him the same way he had been, Roxas felt his remark getting shot right back at him.

"Those cuffs aren't as strong as you think they are. Trust me, excruciating pain and bleeding isn't my style, Roxas." With that note, Axel took another second to enjoy his gloating before walking away from the boy, twirling the key that had been resting on his neck around his finger.

Roxas literally felt the bruising being lifted away from his hands. He could actually feel the blood being able to reach every bit of his fingers again. While he stared down at his fingers, he twitched them and noticed that the cuffs were just at least an inch looser than they had been.

He couldn't have...done that?

With a doubtful scoff, Roxas began dragging himself to the far end of the deck where one of the members was nice enough to give him what he needed to clean the deck.

"Roxas," he murmured in reply to the first thing any of them bothered to ask.

"Demyx," the dirty blonde haired man responded, draping a dirty rag over his shoulder. He said it secretively, hunching over the ground like he was about to pick something up. "I'm not allowed to mingle with the people we take, so don't mention this to anyone."

Roxas hung his head. There really was no such thing as making friends, and he wasn't about to try.

"Better get off and do what you're supposed to do. If you don't, you're gonna end up singing like the rest of us."

Roxas opened his mouth to respond but didn't get the chance to force anything out; Demyx was already walking away toward the lower deck, humming out of all things. He guessed that Demyx said something that he shouldn't have said.

What was so bad about singing?

xxXXxx

"There...that should hold you." It had to be in the dead of night when Roxas got through the last of the nets on the deck. He stepped away from it and wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve, His palms were a little scuffed up from gripping ropes for the past few hours. On top of that, his eyes were drooping at an incredible rate every minute or two.

Shaking his head, Roxas groaned and turned on one side, leaning his body against the wooden railing with his head resting in the net. For a second, he really considered conking out, but he knew it wouldn't do him much good.

Forcing himself upright again, he sent his dreary eyes up where he spotted the sails calmly pushing to the flow of the faint sea wind. He still had to patch the holes in them...

"Damn," he grated out, hitting his head against the net, letting the ropes sway his neck forward and back.

When the sound of footsteps lightly pacing in front of him traveled down the deck, Roxas' eyes fluttered open to stare at the captain, standing on the first step of the stairs that led up to the steering wheel of the ship. He blinked a couple of times to actually fix Axel into clear vision.

"Getting a little sea sick?" he asked briskly.

Roxas shook his head. "No," he paused before adding, "sir." It might have been a little out of his character to say that, but, as Axel said, in the presence of those higher up than himself, he had to act polite.

"You're doing a nice job out here. It's been hours, hasn't it?" Axel took a soft step down from the stairs and quietly folded his arms. Roxas never heard Axel talk like that; in a conversational way. It was like he was willing to make small talk with Roxas; bond with him.

"I still have work to finish." Roxas shot his eyes away and put one foot up atop the railing, struggling to pull his entire body up. Using the net, he tried balancing himself only to have his foot slide away from him.

"I admit to you being a strong talker..._but_," strolling over to the tangled boy, Axel raised one of his hands up to the net and gave it a tug, causing Roxas to fall back against him in a split second shiver, "are you as strong a worker?"

Roxas silently stammered while staring up into Axel's face. He had his head tilted so far back that he could even see the stars above him. But, when Roxas compared them to Axel's eyes, stars were nothing but dying candlelight. They were so glazed over, so strikingly green that Roxas could see his own reflection in them as if they were glass.

He couldn't believe what he was thinking.

Swallowing hard, Roxas pushed his head away and headed toward the net again. "Like I said, I still need to get things done." He reached a shaking hand toward the bound ropes when he stopped midway as Axel's hand grabbed them instead.

"Hm, not bad," he commented while giving the net a light tug. "Didn't think that you'd actually obey what you were ordered to do."

"Yeah, well, being a _pirate_ I have every reason to. It's like you said, respect those higher up than me," Roxas said dryly. Again, he placed his foot up and tried kicking up from the floor.

Axel had to bite the tip of his tongue to keep himself from laughing at the kid. But it really was amusing to see him try so hard to fend for himself. There was just something about Roxas struggling that kept Axel so interested. He wouldn't call himself much of a sadist...

He just rather _liked_ him.

"Roxas," he said calmly. When Roxas failed to respond, he rolled his eyes, smiling, and moved his hands over to Roxas' hips. He carefully positioned them just right and, right when Roxas gasped about it, lifted him up onto the rail.

Roxas' head spun around to stare down at Axel, who suddenly looked so far away. Why hadn't he let go of his hips yet?

"I think you've proven yourself enough. Wouldn't want you collapsing while you're up there; might wake up the sea monsters."

"Sea monsters?" Roxas asked, his voice vaguely rising.

Axel smiled wickedly. "Never heard of 'em? I'd think that you would, at least once on that little island of yours."

Roxas wished he hadn't mentioned that place. Picturing the streets, his workshop...it all made his stomach turn. How exactly _had _they found The Isles? It wasn't drawn on the maps, for protective reasons. Just when he had forgotten about that incident, he suddenly was forced to remember.

Clenching his jaw, he shut his eyes and held onto the ropes, his forehead pressed against them.

Axel didn't seem to notice...or rather, he did, but he pretended not to. "You need to learn how to listen to stories, mate. It's a good habit if you ask..."

"What was it that Leon wanted most?"

Axel's eyes rose amusingly at Roxas' sudden interruption. Staring up at the back of Roxas' head, he lowered his hands down to Roxas' thighs, _just_ to make sure that he was held up nicely.

"Him? Isn't it obvious? He wanted us gone from that town."

Gradually, Roxas turned his head to glance over his shoulder. He didn't look directly at Axel when he did.

"And, he got what he wanted, that place, that time. Gotta stick to the rules of the game."

"How would you know what someone wants?" Roxas asked darkly.

With a smirk curling up his lips and a scoff wrapping itself around it, Axel took a step backward and let go. Roxas, who had grown dependant on something holding him up, wobbled uneasily on his feet. He swore that Axel had given his legs a subtle squeeze before he released him.

"We should be approaching some land in two days time. Until then, you take the remainder of the night in your cell. You can finish your work tomorrow. Then we'll see about making port."

With his question unanswered, his thoughts became more and more intense. Roxas grew impatient with being ignored, but before he could argue about it, he stopped, suddenly realizing that he was being cut loose from _working_. He didn't understand it. Some manner of special treatment? What kind of a captain _was_ Axel?

When Roxas heard the captain's footsteps silence, he shakily put one foot down on the floor and eventually brought down his whole body. It took some restless minutes before he actually found it in him to crawl back to his cell without a sound and lull himself to sleep.

Axel hadn't bothered to send someone to lock his door.

xxXXxx

It had to be the most amazing feeling that he felt over the course of his few days at sea.

His body never seemed to make a single inch toward adapting to the life of a pirate; living in a salty bed for nights on end, never bothering with "hygiene". But this, this felt like it _used _to feel.

The breeze was on the line of warm and cold, just comfortable enough for sleeping weather. If he listened and stood still, he could hear the wings of seagulls beating over the push of the waves. His skin tingled impatiently for the water to touch him. He could already picture it ebbing in the distance, lingering and undisturbed.

Something about it made him want to write a message in a bottle, send it to sea and wonder if he'd ever receive a reply. Not like it mattered. He just liked the thought of standing on a beach...

A beach?

Hesitantly, Roxas' eyes responded to his thoughts, flicking open to a sudden rush of a sharp yellow, almost white light.

He groaned and pulled his head into his chest, gently shaking his head to get rid of the spots in his eyes. So it was just a dream, then?

"Wake the kid up."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Roxas' head shot back up and glared over to his right. He spotted Luxord, standing erect some feet away from him..._not holding him_. Behind him, millions of miles of crystal blue sea sparkled for him.

Not a dream.

Not even noticing the faint smile on his own face, Roxas stared back forward. He froze when he heard chains below him. His wrists suddenly ached something awful. Sighing deeply, he looked down with disappointment at the heavy cuffs that were still stubbornly obsessed with his hands.

"Wake up your legs, come on," Luxord grumbled, kicking some sand at Roxas' shoes.

"H-huh? What?" Roxas quietly asked. Ahead of him, half of the crew laughed, kicking their feet around in the sand which sent dust clouds into the breeze. If it weren't for the chains, Roxas would've liked to jam his fist into each and every one of their dingies.

First thing was first, what was he doing on a beach and why?

"Can't imagine how you managed to stay asleep, Roxas."

"Axel!" Roxas suddenly shut his mouth, forcing his lips tightly together until they turned white. He literally _gasped_ his name that time, almost like he had been waiting to hear his voice. No, no, no.

Axel didn't mind it. Actually, he did, but in a good way. A _really_ good way. He just couldn't show that he cared in front of his crew. Easily, he stepped out from behind Roxas and patted his shoulder, giving him somewhat of a reassuring shake.

He took in a deep breath and smirked at the wide beach ahead of them. "Since you've grown your sea legs, I figured that you'd like to try training your land ones again, yeah?"

"Where are we?" Roxas asked. He began surveying the huge island around him beginning with the tall hill of palm trees at the left to the pure white sand below him.

"Blue," Axel simply replied.

"Blue?" Roxas echoed. Was that meant to be a joke?

Axel shook his head to the sand, making his spikes bounce lightly, and walked in front of the boy before placing his hands on his curvy hips. He half turned to continue talking. Roxas stared at him, suddenly very, _very_ eager.

"I guess you could call it my personal island, at least until some other captain happens to swim by and set foot on it. Then I've got to pass it on to them. But! As of right now, it's mine."

Roxas' eyebrows furrowed questioningly and Axel caught onto it quick. Turning away from him again, Axel raised his hand and flicked his fingers at Luxord who immediately pepped up.

"Take 'em off," he ordered in his usual, laid-back voice.

Luxord looked around him, first at Roxas then at himself, then back to the captain. "Sir?"

Axel groaned and crossed one arm over his chest, keeping his other lifted so he could roll his wrist in boredom. "I wasn't talking about clothing, if _that_ was what you were thinking, Luxord."

Luxord responded with a twisted face of disgust.

"I was talking about Roxas' shackles. Unlock them, would you?"

At the sound of that, Roxas blinked and looked up from the ground. He carefully lifted his hands to his chest where they stayed, waiting and shuddering as if it was torture. Roxas expected Luxord to go into complete shock and kick him for thinking he "tempted" the captain to let him go.

No, thinking of tempting was too disturbing a thought.

But, to save the captain a bullet, Luxord went right for it, walking toward Roxas with a small key in hand. He roughly pulled Roxas' hands to his and snapped the handcuffs unlocked, letting them drop into his waiting hands afterward.

Axel smiled widely at the sight of the boy rubbing his bruised wrists and cut fingers. "Well, go on."

Roxas looked up, his eyes temporarily moving from Axel's head to his feet, as if suddenly seeing him for the first time. "Hm?"

"You can walk around, you know. Check out the place, whatever you want. There's no such thing as land monsters; just sea monsters."

"Sir, let him run free? But the..."

"_Don't_ question it," Axel cut in, thrusting a hand to the side, "Ever heard of being human, Luxord? It's something that a certain species doesn't do all too often, keep that in mind."

As Roxas listened, he went back to thinking about staring at Axel for so long. In all honesty, it was like seeing the captain in an all new light. Or maybe he was just relieved to be in broad daylight again. A sudden breeze by his face brought him back from thinking.

"I'm not going to have to force you, am I?" Axel said in a sing-song voice, shaking a hand in front of Roxas' face.

Roxas crossed his eyes at Axel's face before shaking his head away a couple inches. "Why would I need your help?" he asked acidly.

Having had enough with the questions, Axel flicked an evil smile which slowly devoured Roxas' confidence. "Or would you rather I bury your face in the sand and leave the island without you?"

After darting his eyes to the side and forward, Roxas let the thought temporarily flash by his head before turning around toward the green hill in a paced run. He froze just as he hit a corner of shade under a tree and wondered what exactly he was doing here...free to run?

That thought only lingered a minute before he shot through the trees and into a deeper part of the jungle.

As far as he was concerned, he _needed_ solitude right about now.

"Have fun out there, mate!" Axel yelled toward Roxas, who was suddenly a black dot in the distance. "Demyx!"

"Y-yes, sir?"

"Break out the rum, will you? It's about time we teased up old Blue." It was going to be a long night...or rather, week...

..._weeks_, if he was lucky enough.

xxXXxx

3 days.

3 days, 4 hours and some matter of minutes had passed by.

Roxas couldn't believe that. _Really_.

He recounted on his fingers and cradled himself back and forth on the sand, hugging his knees to his chest with one arm. He'd been sleeping on the pillowy sand for the past days, at least _attempting_ to cancel out the noise of drunken men down the beach.

One of the crew members that followed on the beach was a woman, short and slim with extremely short blonde hair. He could tell she enjoyed getting drunk with them all; she'd been dancing around their bonfire topless every night on end...not like he really paid attention.

While he noticed their fire flickering in the wind in some far off place, he scratched his head free from sand and buckled himself in for another night of rolling himself side to side. He then wondered: why hadn't anyone bothered to look for him yet?

Even Axel...

Roxas hadn't seen him anywhere. Was he honestly _worried _about him?

"_Oh, I finally found you."_

Just as Roxas thought about being found, it happened. But it hadn't been Axel's voice that made him jump, to his slight disappointment. Heart racing, Roxas glanced over his shoulder to the dark jungle far behind him. He heard the soft padding of footsteps against the sand and watched as a pair of ice blue eyes appeared.

"Demyx," he said breathlessly, carefully laying his hand on the sand beside him.

Demyx cleared his throat and crossed his legs beneath him, plopping what looked like a dark brown jug in his lap. He bounced his legs, causing the liquid inside to splash around, and happily clung onto it with his fingers.

Roxas could smell alcohol on him like crazy.

"They kicked me out of the bonfire circle so I decided to go scavenging for you."

Roxas inched his body away from Demyx, not entirely sure of socializing with a pirate. Demyx _had_ said that he wasn't allowed to fraternize. "Did they now?" he asked nervously.

Before answering, Demyx stared down at the jug in his lap and forced it open by prying the cork out with his fingers. He tossed the cork out to sea and sighed down at the liquid sloshing around inside. An intensely strong, dizzying scent wafted right in Roxas' face.

"Yeah. But it doesn't really matter; I don't look forward to seeing _her_ jiggling in front of me, if you get me."

Roxas nodded, as if he did, and watched with mouth partially open at Demyx taking a sharp swig of the stuff in the glass jug. He sighed contently afterward and placed the bottle between them in a pocket of white sand.

"_I'm_ the one who's got the rum." Demyx whispered and winked while thrusting a thumb at his chest. Roxas couldn't figure out if he was drunk or not. It seemed like Demyx's personality to be pretty happy-go-lucky.

Then, he got a strange thought, looking at that jug. It was almost like a craving that struck him square in the stomach. After all, he hadn't found much to swallow down over the past 3 days. But was he so desperate as to turn to booze to settle his gut?

Rolling his head away, Roxas pretended that Demyx and Mr. Rum hadn't been there.

Demyx clearly noticed that the boy was nearly shoving his fingers into the sand and smiled, getting up on his knees to face him. He carefully pushed the rum bottle across the sand until it touched Roxas' hip.

"I thought you said you weren't allowed to socialize with me," Roxas said flatly, eying the rum in the corner of his eye.

Happily, Demyx kicked his feet out from under him and stood up with a dramatic swerve to the right. Miraculously, he kept his balance and, brushing himself off of sand, turned back toward the darkness behind the two.

"Fine. Maybe you and I can't get along, but at least keep the rum busy, will you?" With that slurred comment, Demyx went swaggering off into the darkness, humming again.

Alone...with a bottle of rum. Roxas was beginning to feel just a bit twitchy. He'd never touched rum before, and he wasn't about to! At least, he didn't think so...but his craving for something reasonable to drink was insane. If he couldn't have it, he'd die of dehydration sooner or later.

Fingers tingling, Roxas pulled them out from under the cold sand and let them tiptoe toward the glass beside him. Shyly, he moved his hand up the handle, already able to feel the warmness of the alcohol almost beckoning him. Ultimately, he gave in, firmly grasping the bottle and holding it into his lap before forcing down nearly half the rum. It burned and stung his throat, then suddenly became comfortably warm inside him.

He drew back, stared into the opening, and waited for the heat to flush his face before taking another swig. As much as it might've hurt, Roxas noticed the rum taking a rather protective effect on his body, settling evenly through his tense spots.

So he wasn't entirely right...

He didn't _only_ have himself left in the world, he also had rum.

xxXXxx

"Sora, you don't know _what_ you're missing." Collapsing onto the sand for the millionth time since he stood up, Roxas smiled beside himself and dazedly looked up at the multiple halos around each star. He sighed contently and rested an arm over his forehead, closing his eyes while laughing softly.

"Damn stars," he chuckled and rolled onto his stomach. He sat up and stumbled to his feet again. It was hard to stay in one place feeling this way. He felt like he could rule the world, or at least the island; claim it as his own and kick the bastard pirates off. Swinging his arms around in the cold air and walking along the shore, Roxas imagined fighting real pirates and winning.

"My island, haha. You-you can't..." Cutting himself off, Roxas gently put a hand on his head and suddenly frowned in regret. Honestly, _what was he doing?_ He really had to be a pirate. Only, he _wasn't_ drinking out of happiness...

With a lame sob, Roxas rubbed his head and stared out ahead of him with glossy, bloodshot eyes. He wanted to cry, but the clenching of the booze on his throat stopped him. "You're practically missing hell, Sora," he whispered with a pathetic smile.

By the time his smile drifted, a shifting noise on the sand ahead startled Roxas, causing him to take a shaky step back. With the pirate's bonfire out, his vision was blurred with only the faint, ghost silver light of the half moon above to help.

He got the stupid thought that it had been a ghost, maybe even the ghost of his brother paying him a visit. But before he could turn and attempt to run, the dark clouds slightly separated around the moon and gave off a stronger light on the sand. When he looked down, his heart gave off a violent beat under the influence of the rum.

Holding his chest, Roxas smiled almost evilly and glared down while taking slow steps toward the familiar body in the sand.

"Captain," he stated smartly.

For once, Axel didn't respond. In fact, he couldn't; he was asleep. He was lying flat on his back with an arm over his forehead and the other over his stomach. He had his head turned away from Roxas with his glowing eyes shut good and tight. The waves were just barely grazing the tips of his boots and Roxas wished they could've just taken him away.

Roxas stopped right beside the captain and, totally out of character, put one foot on the other side until he had his legs spread out on either side of Axel. He kept his face straight and gazed down at Axel's face emotionlessly, though inside he felt waves of emotions haze his head. He quite liked it.

He pushed the feelings further, lowering himself down until his knees were pressed into the sand. He was literally sitting on Axel's waist, but Axel didn't notice him there.

"I'm a pirate, am I? Well, maybe I am. I could be a better one that _you_." With a push of anger, Roxas forced out his arms and slapped his palms down on each side of Axel's head. He then lowered his head until their faces were centimeters from touching. He felt like talking to him like a pirate too. He positioned his legs, straddling Axel's hips unintentionally.

"I don't fall for your little mind tricks. I don't buy 'em," he found himself hissing right beside Axel's mouth. Well, wasn't that how Axel talked to him? There was nothing _wrong_ with it. "If I had the chance..._one_ chance, I could beat you down, I swear. I can prove that I'm a better pirate." He was talking nonsense...seductive nonsense.

In fact, Axel knew he was.

With a simple nudge of his head, Axel managed to startle Roxas even more than he first had. He'd woken up right when he felt Roxas' lips beside him. It was cute, possibly too much.

Roxas' head moved back but stopped all on its own when Axel fully turned his head to meet gazes with him. He lowered his arm from his forehead and maintained a sober, composed face. Oh, so he was sitting on him now, was he? Exciting...but awkward.

_"Evening, Roxas."_

* * *

**was this chapter long to you at all? hm, i'm having a hard time cutting chapters with all my stories! the maximum is 10 pages and the minimum is 6...at least for me. any more or any lease and i SPAZZ. i think it's ADD or OCD. what do you think? -sporked-**

**drunk!Roxas was different. oh, my, must i tell you how annoying it is to portray a drunk _teen_ that's normally uber _emo_? no, i don't think i should go on about that. it'll talk your ear off. DX**

**...if i say "uber" again, kill me. i'm not a teeny bopper, i swear.**

**anyway, sexy!scary!Axel is on the beach...with Roxas sitting on 'im. -sits in the dark and takes picture of them- heeheehee...muahaha...**

**_lift it! lift it like it were (Roxas') skirt! (omg...corny),  
kokoro77_**


	6. Keys and Coconuts

**Author's Note: wow, it's been quite a while since i've been online. i've lost track of the days...the only reason that i know that today is the 9th (at least in asia XO) is that there was a concert on the 6th...there were millions of advertisements plastered throughout the streets and i was like...AH! FINALLY I HAVE A DATE! XDD -delirious-**

**i've discovered TONS of new anime shows to watch over here! that includes naruto...strangley. it's the first time that i've bothered to pay attention to the ninja in the orange outfit...bless his soul. XP**

**enough of that, now! keys and coconuts...there's a method behind the madness. -shot for using over used saying- remember pirate booty? i'm not talking about the white cheddar flavored cheese puffs...i'm talking about something...far away from junk food. it's still yummy though! ...i hope. XDDD;; enjoy...me harties? -not a pirate-

* * *

**

Chapter 6: Keys and Coconuts

Roxas' little world instantly fell right on top of him, sending a strange pressure on his spine that nearly paralyzed him. That was just it: he couldn't move, and it was killing him. Below him, Axel hadn't caught onto the _bad_ thing in the situation. Why was Roxas acting like he'd just tripped on a corpse?

Not wasting anymore time, Roxas swung his legs back to one side until he was lying flat on his back. He shifted like a crab in the sand and sat up, kicking his feet away from him to move a few feet away from Axel's slowly awakening body. Head pulsing, he swallowed and stood with a swerving effort. His whole face had to be dripping in sweat.

"I didn't..."

"It's definitely too late for you to be touring the island," Axel interrupted in a rather collected voice.

Roxas was panting as he watched Axel stretch his legs out and sit below him, head turned toward the dark sea. Didn't he just see what happened?

"I was just..."

"I mean, over the course of these, what, three days, I assumed that you would've gotten the time to cover at least _half_ of the land."

"But..."

"And look where you've ended up, right on my favorite patch of sand. Hoping to find yourself a reasonable pillow, Roxy?"

"Oy!" With that remark, Roxas forcefully grazed the tip of his boot against the sand and sent a cloud of it flying toward Axel's back. Why? For one thing, for getting caught, for another, Axel was interrupting like a stupid bastard, and lastly, for being called a poofy nickname like "Roxy". He hit on target, but his target happened to just sit there.

"You know, I really don't get you!" He glared daggers at the back of Axel's head with the heat of his hangover rushing over his face. Or, maybe it wasn't the rum that was making him blush so much. "Picking _me_! _Only_ me to join your pathetic excuse for a crew! Making me do work that belongs to cabin boys! So, so, dragging...dragging me onto this island of yours and unchaining me must be a way to prove you're "sentimental"," he held up his hands and twitched his fingers in invisible quotation marks. "Who're you trying to pull?!"

Axel remained sitting, unresponsive.

"I bet you'll end up killing me, is that it? What kind of captain acts "nice" to those that're meant to suffer? What exactly _is_ it that you want from me? Wha..."

Axel quietly scoffed after bringing his head up to face the sky. Shaking his head, he leaned further back until he was staring at Roxas upside down. "Or rather, what is it you want from _me_?"

Roxas' mind did a double take. "Huh?" he asked out loud. His muscles loosened and his fists unexpectedly dropped.

"I have to say...I'm having one helluva hard time pinpointing what you _want_. With that Leon character of yours, reading him was easier than reading fine print. Now with this _Roxas_ I have..." Axel pushed up onto his hands and did a swift back flip, standing extremely tall over Roxas afterward. Roxas continued to stare at Axel's back, his head spinning.

_His_ Roxas?

"I just don't know. So, why don't you just _tell me?_ Saves me all the interrogating." Axel turned halfway around and stared at Roxas' feet, his eyes half closed and his lips half smiling. The darkness failed to strip him of that extra spark in his eyes, the spark that Roxas always lost to. It was hard to believe that he was feeling so romantic toward something he was so confused by.

"I don't understand you...I probably never will," Roxas muttered lamely, shaking his head and taking a step away.

"Listen, kid, there's really nothing to not get. I'm not here to kill you, you know. There's no sense in being so scared."

Roxas shivered. He quickly brought a hand to his other arm and gave himself a strong rub. That was the first time he was referred to, by Axel, as something other than "Roxas". Not only that, but he wasn't sure what to believe. Was Axel really meaning to help him? At first, Axel's qualified voice made it believable. He didn't want to feel _anything_ toward the captain...it felt wrong.

Unsure of what to say next, Roxas tried to remember the harm that Axel had caused him, and spun around toward the darkness, breaking into a run.

He was too slurred to hear an echo of steps behind him.

Groaning in anger, Roxas brought his run to a slow jog by the time he heard the breeze through the palm leaves above him. At least he was in a closed off space. He didn't want to _see _Axel. Didn't want to talk to him, think about him...but it was harder than he thought. When he had stopped running completely, he pushed an arm against the nearest tree and held his head against it tiredly.

"I don't...mn..." he let out a sob and held his throat closed. Crying wouldn't solve anything. That was it...he'd lost everything. He didn't he know who he was anymore; therefore, he didn't have himself to hold. "S-sora," he whispered in a quivering voice. Suddenly, the island was freezing. Nothing was holding him.

At least, for a while, anyway.

When he nearly collapsed into sleep, Roxas felt his head being moved away from the tree and his body being supported by something warm. Abruptly, he moved his arms away from his body and reacted by clutching onto that thing desperately. While his body just began getting comfortable, his head, now facing forward, had already been pushed to the limit. He sighed brokenly just before he was pulled toward his source of warmth.

He was actually touching _lips_ with Axel. They weren't near each other, they weren't grazing; they were really touching. _Kissing_.

Axel made the first move, pushing Roxas' head against the tree while flicking his tongue between Roxas' lips. He managed to lick them apart from each other and even coaxed Roxas out to meet him halfway. They brushed by each other only for a second before Axel dove right in, teasing Roxas by tracing the roof of his mouth.

Roxas' body twitched against Axel almost uncomfortably. In between shakes, he tightened his grip on both of Axel's shoulders. He was unsure of whether it would be out of his character to try being in control. Instead, he kept limp under Axel's unusual and random pin, whimpering only a bit after _certain_ kisses that happened to be just as _perfectly_ random.

Axel could taste booze everywhere in Roxas. Something about it roused him and even pushed him to slip his arms under Roxas' arms and lock them at his back. He pushed his chest against the boy to balance him until he was carrying Roxas' body beside him. He brought his arms down and held the bottom of Roxas' legs for support. Roxas didn't realize that he had stretched his own legs out and had suddenly grown in height with Axel actually _under_ him.

He was _sitting_ in Axel's arms.

With eyes peeking down at the two's change of position, Roxas slowed his tongue down only to have Axel playfully wrap his around it to speed up again. He groaned softly and squinted his eyes as if he was hurt. Axel's hands softly gripped onto the bottom of Roxas' thighs, groping him with withdrawn whimpers in return.

What was he...doing?

Roxas opened his mouth wider, letting out a loud, unplanned and pleasurable groan first before elbowing the tree trunk behind him. The leaves above gave a violent shake and dropped a dark, hard object. Axel immediately took notice and stopped, his lips pausing against Roxas' already stunned ones.

Ouch.

Roxas pulled his legs back to him and dropped his body back down to the earth. Axel just stood, motionless with his eyes still following Roxas' every move. The lone coconut that had fallen from the tree had bonked him square on the head...

...just like Roxas planned.

Smirking, out of all things to do during pain, Axel took amusement in Roxas near unconsciousness below him, his back slack against the tree for stability. The boy was panting so hard he feared he'd cough his lungs out.

"Pirate," he murmured in a velvety voice before completely blacking out. His body fell forward, nearly suffocating a helpless Roxas underneath. But Roxas was quick to notice and slipped away, ducking close to the ground. Still breathing at a painful rate, he took backwards steps while staring at Axel's unconscious body leaning against the tree trunk. Though his plan pulled through, he wasn't feeling all too proud in himself.

Unable to hold a heavy head any longer, Roxas stumbled backwards into another tree, slamming his back against it under the dizzying influence of alcohol and sudden-death-kissing. He groaned and let his legs give out on him, later dragging his back against the tree's surface just before falling unconscious himself.

xxXXxx

It took a simple hangover for Roxas to come to the realization of what he'd _become_ last night. The instant the horrible headache hit him in the morning all these incredible sensations struck him hard in the chest. They hit so hard that he had to roll over on his side to get them to stop, but even then they persisted to bother him.

Roxas kept his eyes halfway open and tucked his hands under his head as a pillow against the rough tree base. He refused to look anywhere else, seeing as Axel was right ahead of him. He wasn't sure what he felt. Was he humiliated? Scared? Possibly dying for more? It was all very confusing.

He knew one thing, he'd been tricked. The rum had turned him into some crazed boy begging to find a stray bit of happiness out of his short term depression. Axel must've taken advantage of his drunken state to overtake him.

But...in all honesty...it had felt amazingly _good_.

Forcing himself on his back, Roxas began imagining _in detail_ what it had been to lock lips with Axel. He'd never been kissed like that, let alone kissed at all. He never thought that having a warm tongue slide right beside his would be able to make his whole body tingle. Axel was even skilled at doing it. He had to move at double speed just to catch up to the captain's pace.

And what was with _carrying_ him? Groping him, even? That was the reason why he'd stopped him. He feared that he'd reach far past a climax. Roxas fully admitted to liking Axel's vibe just a bit when he first saw him, but he never imagined that he'd actually get to crash with it.

"Disgusting," he grumbled to himself in utter denial. Taking those "disgusting" thoughts with him, he staggered to his feet and, trying his best to ignore Axel, who was asleep at the bottom of another tree, made way toward the sun drenched beach.

But, just as he stepped foot in the burning sunlight, Roxas got a thought, a stupid thought, but an amusing thought. Thinking that it would help ease his hangover, he spun back around, spotted the biggest coconut in the ground and took it in his hands. He cradled it close to him then pulled it back, taking quick aim at the spikes of red crouching in the dirt. Impressively, his aim was right on track and the coconut went flying, making a nice landing pad atop Axel's head.

"Ah!" Axel complained and instantly brought a hand on his head. Roxas crossed his arms and watched, uncaring, while Axel checked his fingers for blood and flopped over on his back, staring up at the leaves in the tree. "Damn tropics," he cursed.

"HEEEYYY!" Roxas called out.

Axel caught onto Roxas' voice and lost all interest in blaming Mother Nature. Instead, he sat up, hugged one of his legs close and squinted off in the bright sun at the blonde kid fuming in the sand. A smile crept up his lips when his eyes wandered along Roxas' body.

"Morning," he chirruped smugly, giving his head a light bounce.

Roxas snorted, grinding his boots in the ground. "You deserved it." Hoping that he'd ended the conversation, and all of their future ones, Roxas stamped his feet firmly apart and spun around toward the shore.

Bonk

"Ow!" Roxas' legs faltered, swinging him forward and back at the sudden impact below his neck. When he turned back around, his eyes wandered to the same coconut he'd thrown at Axel earlier. Though it hurt to do it, he glared up at where Axel had been only to see that there was no one there. "What the heck?" he asked blankly.

He shook his head, giving up on it, and decided on finding more useful things to do...like finding a way to escape from isolation. Trudging along the sand, he heard more footsteps padding along behind him. He froze, drew in a deep breath and slumped forward despairingly. The steps behind him went on, only stopping when they had reached his distance.

"You'll stay right there."

Roxas sighed and went along with it, holding his right arm weakly. He flicked his eyes to the left where they fell upon Axel yet again. He was standing, facing the ocean with a tranquil face on. Under his right arm he was cradling that coconut.

"I'm not about to let a member of my crew slip away from me, understood?" He raised a thin eyebrow and momentarily looked at Roxas unsympathetically.

Roxas nodded. He suddenly felt awful that Axel looked like he hadn't recalled _anything_. Could he have been drunk last night too?

Axel looked back to the sea and took the coconut in both of his hands, tossing it up once before holding onto it again. "I know how desperate you are for answers. If you weren't, you wouldn't have woken me up this morning, you know that?"

Confused, Roxas stared up at Axel with softening eyes.

"Of course you wouldn't have. There's no reason for you to want to capture my attention so much. Blocking a bullet back at your home, kicking sand at me and now tossing this bastard at my head must mean that you _really_ beg for words. Unless..." Axel tossed the coconut back up, this time letting it land in front of him so he could prop a foot atop it. "Unless you just wanted to see me...That's all."

Roxas felt his ears burn up. He tried searching for the right thing to reply, but couldn't pop more out than a groan.

Axel went on, rolling the coconut in the sand. "There's a very good reason why I took you onto Blue a couple days ago; so good a reason that you should be grateful for it."

Roxas found himself turned fully toward Axel. For once, he was willing to listen.

"As to why we've been here for the past three days, it's because I've just been waiting for you."

"Why wait for me?"

Axel cupped his chin in thought and smiled finely as if deciding what was right to tell Roxas. He really couldn't spill _too_ much. "Haven't you been paying attention? I'm not one who takes interest in torture. I brought you here as your place of freedom, whatever you wanna call it. And, by doing that, it wouldn't make sense to limit your _free_ time to a day. So, you take all the days you want and we'll stay ashore until you decide to come back to sea."

"A catch?" Roxas asked skeptically.

"Catch?" Axel replied harmlessly. "No catch, Roxas. Well...with the exception of that you won't be able to return to land after this. That's why I give you all the time in the world to stay here."

"Why wouldn't I be able to come back? How can you prevent that?" Roxas' voice calmly shook and his head suddenly pulsed painfully.

"Tsk, tsk...I wish I could say, really. Maybe not here...perhaps another time, back at sea. You'll be sober then."

"What?" Roxas' face broke into several shades of red again, starting from the top of his forehead to the bottom of his neck. When did he find out that he'd been drunk? "I-I don't..."

"Now, since you know that much, you can also know that by staying here all you want, it'll take more than a sad face to get me to pin you like that again."

The simple "_WHAT?"_ that slithered from Roxas' mouth was a good enough answer for Axel. What he'd mentioned was true, though. He was serious about falling head over heels for that broken face of Roxas' last night. And, right when he'd tasted the rum, he'd gotten so riled up that he could barely contain himself. He figured that it would take more for Roxas to push him further. He could get used to living on Blue.

That was...unless...

"I can't stay here."

...Unless Roxas _preferred_ doing "run downs" on the ship.

"Hm?" Axel looked up from his feet and saw Roxas staring with a dejected face at the sand below.

"Even if you say it's free for me to be here, I'm still your property; I'm still under your watch. I don't want to be here."

Axel hm'd inquisitively. For once, Roxas had said something very smart.

"I want to go home. But I can't even do _that_. So it would be better for me to do what I was brought to do," the young teen paused shortly, biting down on his tongue nervously. "Just take me back," he mumbled and looked away regretfully.

As if it was part of his instinct, Roxas slowly lifted his wrists and held them in front of his chest. He awaited Axel to bind him with _something_. If they would be his uncomfortable cuffs, it wouldn't matter. He'd suffered enough.

Seeing that, Axel laughed halfheartedly. Using the tip of his boot, he kicked up behind the coconut and let it fly up toward his waiting hand. He gripped onto it and shook his head at the boy. "You won't need 'em. Just pick up your feet and hurry off to the ship."

Roxas had to admit, he was both excited and grateful that he was leaving. He wanted to thank Axel, but after last night, he couldn't even look at him straight. How did he expect to _talk_ to him straight?

xxXXxx

Getting back to the ship was the easiest part of Roxas' whole time with the pirate crew, the reason being that he didn't have to be chained up on the way from the small row boats to the deck. It was Axel that ordered, seriously _ordered_ all the members on the island to keep their hands off of Roxas. Luxord was to toss the old handcuffs on the beach and wasn't allowed to kick or threaten the boy.

Axel said that he'd take care of the "threatening".

"Get all the men to their stations and don't let me catch them slacking off, you hear me?"

"Yessir." After lightly bowing his head in Axel's direction, Luxord stormed off down the deck, shouting and barking at the crew members who nearly fell off the ship hearing him. Roxas peeked at it around Axel body with slight amusement, but later shot his head away when he noticed Axel looking down at him.

Axel cleared his throat and placed a single hand on his hip. For some crazy reason, he was still clinging onto that coconut that they'd been battling with. Roxas tried to ignore it. "You about ready to leave?"

Roxas kept his head down and his voice locked away. He still couldn't find it in him to talk to Axel anymore.

"That's the spirit!" Axel cheered, raising the coconut over Roxas' head and bonking him atop the head with it. Smirking at the twitch and growl from the boy, Axel gripped onto Roxas' shoulder and spun both of them around toward the stairs that led to the brig. Roxas' eyes stared in displeasure at them. Axel compared the look on his face with that of a puppy whimpering and tiptoeing away from a fire. Too cute.

"Take a good look at Blue, Roxas."

Roxas only peered at the large island for a second, not wanting much of a memory out of it. He wished that Axel didn't have to touch him so much...it was really making him shudder and complain.

But...last night...he wasn't really complaining. He wasn't all too positive about why he had to stop Axel in the first place. His body wasn't uncomfortable. His throbbing head, for once that night, ceased to hurt. He actually had Axel to _thank_ for...

The sound of thudding footsteps down the stairs and the sudden adjustment of light make Roxas slip back to his current situation. He gasped and stared down the dark space, trying to catch any light at all. Axel saw that Roxas was getting iffy about heading back to a cage so he wrapped a skinny arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer to his waist. At once, to Roxas' own surprise, he felt secure.

Their footsteps stopped when they turned to the left and stopped before the same tight, rusty old jail cell that Roxas had to call home. Face rather straight, Axel opened the squeaky door and carefully pushed Roxas inside. Roxas didn't put up a fight, but his mind was telling him to. In all honesty, he didn't want to hurt Axel at all. He ventured to the darkest corner in the cell and pressed his back against it, just waiting to hear Axel lock him up good and tight for all eternity...

...but it never happened.

"I'll call you when I need you, yeah?" Axel simply said while shutting the door behind him. Just before he did, he reached his arm back and tossed the heavy coconut into the cell with Roxas. "Thought you'd need some company," he chuckled and slipped back into the dark.

Utterly confused, Roxas stared at the thing on the floor and shook his head. "You're crazy." He crossed his arms and shut his eyes. The hangover wasn't planning to leave, along with the constant thoughts of _kissing_ _Axel_. He'd really done that...what would Sora think?

"I kissed him, _kissed_...ah..." Groaning, he uselessly slid onto the floor and buried his head in his knees. What was he thinking? Pirates-can't-love. No one can _truly_ love a pirate. It's not how nature works...

xxXXxx

_Hey, Roxas._

_Hm?_

_Take a look at that girl over there. She's been ogling you forever!_

_What? Where?_

_There! The one with the really blonde hair!_

_Yeah? Well, what about that girl next to her? She looks obsessed with you..._

_What? No she doesn't!_

_Get over yourself. She likes you._

_You know, there's no sense in denying that we've both got people infatuated with us._

_Maybe you should go talk to her, if you think she's so infatuated with you._

_I'm not going over there by myself...you've gotta tell your girl too!_

_My girl? You're crazy._

_Know what? This'll never work...love obviously stinks with us. It's better to stay away from 'em._

_Ok...but you'll never know what she's thinking about you._

_But, I..._

_Just talk to her. It's not that hard._

_Fine..._

And, just like that, Roxas lost Sora all over again. Over the past days he'd been a pirate, dreams were becoming more and more irritating to have. He wished that they could've been drowned at sea, abandoned on that island. When he began stirring, he started wishing that he had rum to help him forget all the pain in dreaming.

Sighing weakly against his skin, Roxas peered up from his knees and blinked around at the darkness hugging around him. The only light in the room came from a dim candle hanging on the wall beside his cell. All around him the wooden walls were moaning and creaking as the ship swayed and tipped over the waves. At least his hangover had subsided or he'd be really sick.

Just before hiding his face again, Roxas' eyes locked onto something rolling around ahead of him, left and right then back again. He felt adrenaline pulsing under his skin and kicked his body away.

"Rat, rat, rat," he repeated over and over, just staring with horror at the shadow of the object. But, when it rolled close enough to the candlelight by the cell door, he let out a puff of relief at the ferocious coconut entertaining itself on the floor.

He rolled his eyes and shook his bangs from his cobalt eyes. "Silly thing," he mumbled as he watched it follow the rhythm of the ship. Nearly a minute into watching it, the ship suddenly gave a lurch forward which sent Roxas and the coconut rolling in the same direction. Roxas pushed up from his stomach and rubbed the back of his neck. When he heard the coconut shell rolling across the floor at a fast pace he looked up at just the right time to see it bang hard against the cell door, sending it flying open.

That's right...Axel hadn't locked it.

Hesitantly, he gazed out the door, wondering if maybe he'd been having another dream. If he'd really been dreaming, then he took back all he said about them being irritating. At first, he didn't want anything to do with the sudden window of freedom. What would he do once he got out? Patch the holes in the masts like he was supposed to?

Still...it was a _golden_ opportunity.

With that thought to stick with, Roxas got to his feet, swayed with the ship and broke into a quick sprint to and out the door. To avoid suspicion, he shut it behind him before turning right toward the stairs. He shot up the stairs like a bullet, leaving his savior coconut to roll away in the shadows.

Now...to find the stock of rum.

xxXXxx

After several failed attempts at finding a secret door, Roxas near gave up on finding his precious booze. Of course, he thought it was stupid to be scowering for something he didn't _really_ need.

He paused in the middle of the deck under the bright watch of the moon over his head. With both arms crossed over his chest, he tapped his foot a little against the floor and thought good and hard.

"If I were rum..." he trailed off and sighed deeply. "I shouldn't be doing this." He took a slow step back toward the brig stairs then immediately took it back. He was enjoying being the only one on deck...on a very _quiet_ deck that appeared _clean_ for once under the silver moonlight. He'd enjoy it more if he had rum...

"Oh, enough with the rum," he hissed to himself, feeling like someone was pinning unwanted thoughts on him; writing his life story. But, even as he was desperate to not want it anymore, Roxas still wanted to take one last shot. It would be risky...dangerous...he knew this for sure.

Eyes gazing around him, he stopped toward the front of the ship, in the middle where a large door sat, almost begging him to open it. He knew that that wasn't the rum door, but he knew where it led instead. Being so desperate, he cleared his throat, straightened up his figure and walked over to the door.

Out of all the people on board, the _captain_ would certainly know where the rum would be.

xxXXxx

It took grueling hours for Roxas to build up enough confidence and courage to even lay a hand on the dusty and scratched hanging doorknob ahead of him. It took even longer for him to push on it and open it enough without letting too much creaking escape from the doors hinges. If he woke up the captain, he was sure that he'd get in trouble for sneaking around...then what was he doing waking him up to ask where the rum was?

Feeling stupid, Roxas held the door open and, biting his lip, slipped a foot inside the dim room. With that leg in, he sucked his breath in and inched the other inside over the course of at least five whole minutes. When he was sure that all of him was inside, he laid a hand softly on the door and shut it with ease.

It was amazingly cold in the room with the smell of mothballs hovering through the air. Roxas wondered if it was possible that he could lose himself in the darkness he was in. For all he knew, Axel could have been wide awake; waiting to tackle him the minute he stepped further into the room.

Pushing the thought to the back of his head, Roxas concentrated on the task at hand and began shuffling his feet forward in between stifled breaths. Every second he looked around him for a body coming his way. He kept his lips parted and face drawn to the floor ahead of him in complete concentration. The whole way, he tried picturing the layout of the room around him, trying to remember exactly where Axel's bed was placed.

Then it hit him...he was looking for Axel's _bed_.

Feeling even stupider, Roxas paused what he was doing just before he made a turn to the left. He touched the top of his forehead with two fingers and unbelievingly shook his head.

"This is pathetic," he breathed. Right when he said it, he bit down on his tongue until he felt it go numb. Stay quiet. Stay still.

He let paranoia pass him by only once after that incident. How could Axel have heard him when he used a mouse voice? He took in another breath and continued inching further and further into the unfamiliar space. His feet tapped at the floor nervously, thinking that he'd...

Found it.

Before stumbling over himself, Roxas raised his feet and swiftly climbed up the couple of short stairs ahead of him. He'd tripped on the first one but managed to regain himself with only a bit of noise. This was it, he'd found the bed. Now all that was left to do was...actually wake up Axel...

...this would take ages.

How? Shake his shoulders? Talk to him? He'd wished he'd brought the coconut to try whacking him instead.

Without thinking, Roxas lightly grazed his fingers against the bedding, feeling gentle curves in it that followed the perfect curves of a body. His eyes lowered and his breathing immediately calmed. He pressed down a bit harder until he could even feel the body underneath. It was warm, smooth and it was moving slowly as it breathed. Roxas felt he'd connected with that body already.

Bringing his hand back, he moved to the middle of the bed and sat, hearing the cushions creak when he weighed down on it. But even as he kept perfectly still, he noticed that it continued to move and push down...he couldn't figure out if this was bad or not.

"Uhm..." he ineffectually whispered along with a gasp as the sheets shifted below him. Suddenly, his body moved back when the bed rocked toward him in a violent manner. All at once, something lunged at him, sitting up to meet with him halfway across the bed. He could feel the heat being exchanged between the two after each extended breath. Oddly, he found it comforting and it even doubled the rush of excitement that had been pressed on his chest.

A hand had been pressed against the side of his neck in a defensive position and another had smacked against the wall to keep balance. Looking up through shaking eyes, Roxas caught onto the sharp green piercing right in his face. Just like that, he lost his ability to talk again.

Feeling that familiar breathing against his hot skin, Axel knew right away who had cut him short of sleep. He completely forgot he was attacking anyone and, teasingly, he gradually lowered himself back against the bed. Just as he expected, Roxas followed him down like he was being hypnotized. Smiling cunningly, Axel kept himself up on both elbows and stared forward at where he knew Roxas' face was only a nudge away from his.

"I thought I told you I'd call you when I'd need you," he whispered charmingly. Both of their mouths were half way open beside the other. Their eyes were staring at the other's face, literally devouring it.

"To be honest, I was just gonna ask where the rum was," Roxas whispered back, haughtily, though there was no meaning behind it. He had no idea how close he was.

"_Honesty,_" Axel hissed seductively, "don't hear _that_ very often..." He carefully flicked his tongue out, touching Roxas' upper lip as a snake would to a mouse.

Roxas' head shook and his eyes dilated so widely that he instantly gained his night vision. "I don't think that...answered my question at all," he said in slight shock.

"Just like you won't hear much of _this_ either, ey?" Axel lowered his voice, clearly ignoring Roxas' words, and drearily whispered something extremely secretively.

"_Parley..."_

...that had to be the most perfect thing that Roxas heard in all his life...

And _that_ was being honest.

* * *

**haha, i tried envisioning my favorite pyromaniac playing with a coconut...-dances- omg, it's so awesome!**

**i love having random fantasy images float through my head. the next chapter's images...just might give me a concussion. a happy concussion! -faints of bloodloss-**

**i wish that i could squeeze in time to draw fanart for my writing. -whines- i mean, my deviantart gallery is currently a dark hole...without axel and roxas being trapped in it. XO i've been doodling lots, sure! and even been completing new work! but...me scanner is MILES away from me...i suddenly want to hide in a plane and have it drop me home. XDD better than disneyland rides, for sure. whee!**

**what else...oh, yes. please forgive my axel and roxas in this story. gah, roxas is being a little poof and axel...please don't think he's a sex pistol. it scares me!**

**i hope that i won't be stripped of the internet for long...if i am, let the countdown of 2 weeks until i go home begin. -sits in corner-**

**_did i spell "parley" right? XO  
kokoro77_**


	7. Parley

**Author's note (YARRRRRG): crap! been a while, hasn't it? i know you hear this a lot from me already, but...UGH!! stupeed skool ish ruining me. i lost ALL my train of thoughts and what's worse? THE TRAIN DOESN'T COME BACK. then i have to start the thinking process all over again, sleep, then rethink then type then delete then...-explodes- -censored ranting-**

**and here's another thing that you hear way too often from me: I'M SORRY!!**

**and this time, how do i attempt at making it up? erm...well...does some nice pirate booty sound good to you? -cricket-****yeeeeah...i'll get the popcorn...or whatever it is that pirates eat... -shuffles away- up the rating? let's just say...PG-13...maybe XOOO**

* * *

Chapter 7: Parley

Where had he heard that before? Roxas' head gave off a little spark through the rest of his body the second Axel mentioned that word. The way that Axel had said it made the word extremely familiar; so familiar that it made even his insides tingle. He couldn't figure it out.

"Parley?" he repeated. His sudden curiousness made him pull his head back. Axel frowned and narrowed his eyes in disappointment.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of parley." Axel kept on his elbows and turned his head to one side, eying Roxas' shadow at a slant. There was a slight problem with the boy still sitting there, not moving. He wasn't about to give up on this surprise visit. Wanting to use the word "slave" would be an understatement. But he had to figure some way to regain Roxas.

Roxas lightly shrugged. "I have...once," he said defensively in a hushed voice. Axel still took that as a no.

He chuckled to himself and shifted his waist in a comfortable position. So, maybe Roxas hadn't made the cut for this sort of thing. Nah.

"It's pirate code, mate. Those who declare parley ask for a...negotiation between the two parties. It happens in the midst of battles _very_ scarcely." Leaning forward at a slow pace, Axel's smile came back and his eyes returned to scanning Roxas' face. He'd have to try this one again.

"And," he wittily continued, "there are cases when the negotiations end up in the declaring party obeying to the opposite's orders. It's simple, really."

"So, you're saying..." Roxas nearly choked when he felt Axel's hand reach for the back of his head. He stiffened and was forcefully pulled down. He had no choice but to bring his arms out and position his hands beside Axel's head for balance. He swallowed hard, feeling his sweat on the verge of dripping on Axel's face below him, and let his breathing be the only thing that moved him.

It just occurred to him that Axel hadn't been wearing a top.

"Must you make everything so difficult?" Axel purred. Even when Roxas let out an unsure 'uhm' he refused to pull out the message behind it. He wasn't expecting an answer, really. But a reaction would be nice. It wasn't Roxas' sadness or pain that attracted him now. In fact, it was the very fact that Roxas was breathing right beside him that felt so alluring. It was strange...he'd never expected that someone, a _boy_, would be able to make him drop all his defenses and bother to communicate. Being around Roxas, to keep it simple, felt different.

Roxas chewed on his lower lip while fiddling his fingers against the bed sheets. This was unexpected, almost unwanted at that. Sure, he'd had this conclusion floating in the back of head even before he set foot in Axel's room, but he hadn't sent it to the front of his thoughts until now. "I just asked a simple question. You answer it, I'll be gone. No more difficulties."

"You're tough, Roxas. But all brawn and no brains puts you out of the picture. As a matter of fact, I _did_ answer your question. I told you what parley is, didn't I?"

Roxas' eyes twitched at their half closed position.

"_So_, _I'm_ saying, to answer your uncompleted question by putting that description I provided in one simple word, _parley_."

At that point, Roxas let go of his lip and relaxed his jaw, making his mouth hang open as it wished. Obey the opposite party's orders? What orders could he provide? Feeling in control, Roxas tilted his head slightly, shot his bright eyes into Axel's and formed his lips to speak. He could ask where the rum was, then! But as his question rose in his throat, it suddenly shrunk when he felt something pop up below him. His course of thoughts veered off when he realized what Axel's body had just done. His face immediately flushed.

Not only had his thoughts changed, but his body as well; piercing with millions of hot bumps. He tried forcing his words out in a whisper even if it took painful amounts of effort and control. "Stop making me feel stupid," he mumbled.

"Hm?" Right after Axel had blinked softly at Roxas' demand, his head gradually became buried into his pillow. His eyes rose faintly and switched to different spots on Roxas' face in a secret craze. They hadn't remained with their lips merely touching for very long; Roxas squeezed his eyes tighter together and pushed forward, at the same time pushing his tongue out to try burying into the exhilarated captain.

For once, Axel hadn't noticed that move had been coming and was stunned when he felt Roxas literally invade him. He opened wider and pushed back at him somewhat defensively but Roxas shrugged it off, nipping the corner of his mouth punishingly. He wasn't about to be labeled as stupid anymore.

Roxas hadn't even thought of his next move as stupid. He never imagined that he'd do anything like it...was it really out of desire? Or was it out of hate and revenge? The emotions rushed at him and, combined, forced Roxas to express them by lowering his arms a bit _too _low.

Still playing a tongue war with Axel, he balanced his body, carefully bending his legs on either side of him, and scrambled further down between his and Axel's waists. When he was sure that Axel hadn't caught onto him, Roxas pulled his head away, slowly cracked his eyes open and smoothly dragged his hands along Axel's waistline.

Managing a broken smile, Axel brought his head closer to his chest and hissed masochistically. "Not good..." he nearly laughed until Roxas' touching crossed the line. Feeling that sensation made all his other muscles collapse.

Roxas obviously didn't want him to talk. It made things...difficult. Not caring about what Axel thought was good and what wasn't, Roxas made one hand freeze between Axel's legs and slowly squeezed harder with each passing second. Against the bed, he felt Axel holding his breath in a sharp millisecond.

He wondered what would happen if he made him _gasp_ for breath...? What was he thinking through all of this?

Ignoring the second question, Roxas concentrated on the first and applied even more pressure to Axel's crotch. The response was begging to come out and he knew it. Axel couldn't hold his breath forever. Axel even proved it when he loosened his throat and let out a hard pant. His eyebrows furrowed under the pain of his chest refilling with now hot air.

Roxas delicately uncurled his fingers and slipped his hand away. It hadn't been his expectation for _himself_ to be panting for breath along with the red head. For a while, it had seemed like Roxas gained the upper hand with ease, but Axel erased that completely when he gathered up what he'd been holding back since he'd _met_ Roxas. With a silent push, Axel sat up; head bent over Roxas in an obsessive stare, and skillfully latched two fingers at the collar of Roxas' thin shirt. The just as fixated teen sat up with his back arched and his knees tucked underneath him.

Roxas kept extremely still and allowed himself to be stripped of his top in a matter of seconds. Axel pushed the sleeves away from his sweaty, cold shoulders and followed the urge to have naked skin touch his. They stuck together with Roxas' chin against Axel's forehead. Axel had ducked his head and already began trailing hot breaths against Roxas untouched skin.

The teen kept his face calm, feeling rather comfortable being attached and stroked, and parted his lips when he rolled his head to the opposite side. The rhythm of the ship was growing intense as was the scent of smoking candlelight from just out the door. He could feel the thin smoke wrapping around his bare arms, tickling his stomach and crawling around his hips. Airily, he sighed with the mixed touches sprawled over him.

"Ah..." he puffed gently. Axel had found interest in a particular bit of skin at Roxas' left collar bone. He licked at it, tasting the salt water on his skin, and bit down with a louder huff in response. "_A-ow_..."

Good. With him distracted, Axel found the time to slickly slide his right hand along Roxas' spine. He let it guide him lower until he felt the fabric of his pants touch his fingertips. His other hand swiftly unzipped him and tugged down at the belt loops. He knew that Roxas was well prepared for this. He ventured even deeper and, with two fingers, made entry from behind. Roxas gave a violent shake toward the sudden incursion.

"Mnn...!" Roxas tucked in his chin, bumping into Axel's head but was calmed when he felt Axel nudge below his neck. It was like Axel cared when he felt pain. That was awkward.

"Relax, mate. Easy."

"Mm...mm-hm." Roxas nodded lightly and let the tension in his shoulders drop. His back arched up but he steered away from being as tense as before. When Axel felt Roxas' body loosen around his fingers, he slipped deeper in then pulled back. The boy whimpered with his head grinding, unknown to him, sharply atop Axel's head. Thinking that he'd made Roxas cry, or possibly bleed, Axel exited and brought his hand away. An extreme, racing heartbeat was making his cheek pulse.

Truthfully, his was beating _twice_ that. But, he wouldn't want to reveal that little secret to Roxas. It'd ruin his winning streak at the moment.

Grinning against the boy's chest, Axel gazed up at him as he began releasing sharp breaths into the hot air. Feeling him breathing against his skin was tempting. The simplest things that Roxas did made it hard for Axel to contain himself. What could he say? It was part of his pirate nature to never hold back.

Following that thought, he purred deeply in his throat, sending soft vibrations up Roxas' neck, and snaked his body against his companion. Roxas clicked his teeth together and furrowed his eyebrows while staring down at himself. He didn't waste a second and smartly slipped toward the wall beside the two, causing Axel to lose his balance and land on his hands against the bed. Roxas kept one hand on the wall's surface before taking the opportunity to wrap both hands around Axel's waist.

The captain flinched lightly and his breathing faltered from what he could feel against the sheets. There was really something about joining the crew that made Roxas a smart ass, not only in his thoughts...but also his actions.

The teen proved this by forcefully reaching down to grab Axel's wrists. Axel was still smiling a bit when he allowed himself to be flipped over on his back, once again looking up at the blonde with entranced eyes. Roxas appeared to have lost himself completely, forcing his body to breathe through heavy pants and stare so evilly at, in his mind, his captive. Axel had to admit that he was surprised. One second, he had been harmless, squirming by his touch, now he'd twisted into something else. _What_, he wondered...

He figured he'd have to find out on his own. Roxas released Axel's wrists slowly and dragged his hands against his skin down to his ankles. He gave the fabric on his black pants a tug which instantly loosened them from Axel's waist. Understanding, Axel shifted his body and soon had them slipped away from his long legs. He was completely exposed to Roxas...another plan perfected.

Roxas swallowed at what he'd just done. His lips trembled when his eyes stared longingly at those smooth legs moving comfortably underneath him. Not only that, but _in between_ those legs was something that made, not only his lips tremble, but every part of his body. He easily lowered his body until he was merely centimeters from touching Axel's waist. He slipped his hands delicately under Axel's legs, pulling them up and bending his knees as he pleased.

"Hah..." Axel groaned in between a devil smirk. While he watched Roxas' face intently, his bent legs were pulled apart from each other and were lifted halfway in the air. Sitting up, Roxas took the time to finish what Axel had started; lowering his pants past his waist. He only hesitated once before inching down at just the right pace. With their bodies pressed together, the blonde squeezed his arms underneath the captain's back, locking them together, and thrust his lower body forward.

Axel's eyes squeezed shut to a point where he could even feel tears dot their edges. His smile twisted in slight pain, but at the time, pain didn't exist. Pleasure, however, did. He clawed at Roxas' bare back, switching from his neck to his lower back every second. At the same time, his legs cramped and curled around Roxas' waist.

"It doesn't hurt..._not one bit_," he groaned rather contentedly.

Roxas had his head right beside Axel's ear, attempting to steady his breathing, but Axel's constant moaning kept him far from success. It was technically his fault for pushing him like that. With each thrust, he received different reactions. He was honestly curious what the next one would be, so he continued. Even the bleeding cuts at his back didn't matter. For the first time on this ship, he didn't feel stupid. He wasn't belittled.

With an exhausted sigh, Roxas' body gave out and made him slam his head atop Axel's chest. In that position, he could hear his breathing, his heartbeat moving in synch at high speed. Was it even possible for them to work so fast? Was it possible for a smooth person like Axel to be able to do that? Axel's hand moved down and cupped the boy's face, forcing him into a deep tongue lock.

With that, Roxas' lower body gave a soft, relaxed dip, releasing all he had into Axel while Axel's back lightly arched toward it.

Lingering seconds passed before Roxas pulled out and Axel gradually lowered his legs into the stained and soaking bedding. Both were too tired to even switch their heads to the pillows at their feet. Roxas stopped their kissing carefully and immediately pushed his head right beside Axel's head after. He was sweating at such a dangerous rate that his body couldn't hold his weight under the stinging heat and fatigue.

What had he...where had all that come from?

He hadn't planned on getting involved with the captain. After all, he'd taken his _life _away...

Axel didn't seem to react the same way to their moment. He even tried a hand at re-coaxing Roxas by gently nudging the side of his neck. But Roxas had already been past passing out to be responsive. Roxas could be a perfect captain with the orders he demanded. Parely was surely a risky negotiation...

xxXXxx

He'd been taught that if two people fell in love, that they would find some special way to show it. He never found out what that 'special way' was. He'd never _loved_ anyone. He'd never felt _connected_ to anyone. But when that feeling of connection suddenly fell into him, he still felt like something had changed...and he couldn't tell if it was l_ove_ or simply nothing at all.

What had influenced him to go to the captain that night? When he thought about it, he really _wasn't_ that desperate for a midnight swig of alcohol. He was, however, desperate for that same high; that buzz that filled him with some strange warmth...like he, for once in a long while, was being accepted. He just never imagined that _Axel_ could fix that up for him.

In the mere two seconds that Roxas had been awake, thoughts circled and spun frantically in his head, making his eyesight blurred and all his other senses virtually worthless. With a soft groan into the cushion below him, he took a second to stretch before finally cracking his eyes open to a faintly sunlit room...an _empty_ sunlit room.

Cautiously, he widened his eyes as he sat upright in where he remembered was the bed. As to how he'd gotten there, he'd have to wait for the dizzy spells to wear off before it'd come back to him. All he knew was that he was alone...and it was quiet. Even the waves felt as if they'd been frozen and held the ship in place. Silence? Aboard this ship? Something was up.

Suddenly feeling extremely cold, Roxas struggled to pull the thin blanket off of his naked body. Shaking, he reached to the foot of the bed where he found his clothes laying in a messing heap beside what appeared to be a black vest. When he looked closer, he recognized it as the captain's, but refused temptation to touch it and simply went back to fixing himself. Did that mean that Axel, where ever he was, was running around deck half naked? In _this_ freezing weather?

After folding the tops of both his boots, he quickly turned toward the door and ran up to it, only hesitating when his fingers were a nudge away from stroking the surface of the rusted knob. Outside...he couldn't hear a thing. No seagulls, no wind, no footsteps. Curiosity grabbed a hold of him and soon flung him outside into weather so cold he could feel ice prickling his face.

"How can it be _this_ cold out here?" he whispered in a puff of smoke. If he remembered correctly, he'd been staggering on a sweaty island only a day ago. The ship couldn't've gone _too_ far...

Judging by the looks of the thick fog, it seemed like the ship could've been sent through a storm, and this was just the silence that followed. But then why hadn't he heard anything the night before? Maybe the captain was just distracting him. Thinking of Axel again, Roxas suddenly felt a pang at the side of his head which made him turn his left in the thick, white cloud. And, just as if his imagination had spilled it out into real life, a shadow began moving some steps away.

He swallowed and advanced a step. "...Axel?"

The shadow's movement halted before it appeared to turn in his direction.

"Axel...is that you?" Roxas had to admit that he was afraid of how confident his voice sounded in the presence of _him_. He began to rethink how Axel's and his relationship was at this point. And, out of a rush of immense _greed_, he wanted to see the captain's face. He started taking slow steps forward.

The shadow remained still. Maybe the temperature had made him freeze in place. Roxas' steps caught up in speed, but the figure still felt so far away. Maybe he was running in circles?

"Axel!" he raised his voice just as he stopped, realizing that he'd started panting. Exactly how long was this ship anyway? Was this a dream? It had to be. This was unreal and the very thought of him not being able to wake up was making him unstable. "You're really...you're really pissing me off...! Do you know that?!" He voice sounded like it'd been bounced off of invisible walls and as soon as the words came back to him, the shadow twitched and began advancing toward him in slow, heavy steps.

Roxas then clicked his teeth and blinked rapidly. Those footsteps..._that wasn't Axel_.

"Shit," he hissed. He drew a step backward but it didn't do much good; the unknown person was still closing the gap between them. "What _are _you...?" he whispered to himself, hoping more than anything that the person wouldn't reply. But he soon realized that this wasn't an ally. A gun click, a raised arm, a sadistic chuckle...

_Run_

Roxas' heart rate suddenly began rising uncontrollably. The fog only seemed to thicken and worse: _darken_. Every bit of light that had peeked through the cloud appeared to be sucked away with each step he took. But no matter how fast he went or where he swerved to, he still heard the threatening click of a gun being cocked and the evil laughter growing closer behind him. His eyes began to sting as the temperature dropped drastically and began to frost his eyesight.

"Leave me alone!" the blonde yelled, not bothering to look over his shoulder. The person seemed to notice the fear welling inside the teen and broke into a paced jog with the supposed gun pointed right at the target. With another yell, Roxas attempted to swerve off to the captain's room, only to stupidly trip on a loose plank and fall flat on his face on the icy deck. All he could do was keep his eyes glued to his faint reflection in the ice and breathe...

_"Another one of them, ey?" _The shadow's voice appeared to be coming from directly over Roxas' body. It was incredibly deep and raspy; bitter and merciless. Their footsteps ended abruptly and Roxas was sure that he was a sitting duck; that whoever this was could see him _perfectly_ under the careful aim of that gun.

_"You'll end up like the rest of them. Greed treats every one of its victims equally. You...are NO exception." _

"V-victim?" Roxas quivered and drew his legs in closer to his chest. He still wouldn't face the one talking to him.

That harsh chuckle came back and was followed by: _"What is it you **want**, boy? Tell me what you **want**." _

Just when Roxas recalled to memory those very same words being said to him once before, the short laughter from the shadow was cut off and the sound of metal clanging against metal pierced his ears. He ducked his head and gasped, only before feeling that immoral sensation once more. It made him turn his head upward and, without needing to squint, Axel came into clear view with his back turned on him and his right arm outstretched to the side.

In Axel's right hand he saw the blades of a _very_ familiar sword. Two blades placed together...like the one Sora had showed him before...the one that made him _desire_ to test it. Axel was holding onto it tightly like he'd just rebounded some attack that was made for him. But that was it: _it wasn't made for him_. It was meant for Roxas.

"Axel..." Roxas whispered, sitting up slightly. The captain kept his back turned, making Roxas' eyes fall upon several red lashes on his once smooth skin. A few lines of blood were dripping down his back, but Axel didn't seem to be so affected. He just remained standing; protecting Roxas from the person, a _man_, which was now in clear view. That was it..._he had to know_.

"Who-who are you?" Roxas trembled faintly when he tried to sound so mature.

The man's cursing yellow eyes blazed and peered down at the teen. It was then that Roxas was sure that he'd just been struck with death. His hair was swept back in layers of bright silver hair that fell just below his neck. Every part of his body was hidden behind an all black outfit from the long cloak, to the boots and the necklace sitting around his neck. In his right hand was, just as he thought, a gun which was pointed directly over the center of Axel's chest. Axel, who continued to bleed, kept the strange double blade in between Roxas and the man.

"You've met him," Axel mumbled extremely seriously. "Just not like _this_ before."

"What--?"

"You're _pa-thetic_, Axel. This boy?"

Axel's head tilted as he scoffed. "He's not like the others. You'll see. I know enough about him, mate."

The man returned the scoff. "There's no running from desire, Axel. Soon he'll realize his position and will ultimately belong to _me_. And you, well, _you_ will be doomed to another year of hard work, won't you? _You've failed me too much._"

"Maybe you've forgotten, but I live to be pushed off the edge. After all, what's a little pain, ey?" Roxas' eyes wandered back to the dripping wounds on Axel's bruised back. He nearly retched. "I'm willing to take _50_ lashes if it means saving this here boy's life, savvy?"

There was a pause before Roxas heard the man speak again, this time sounding very far away. Before he knew it, the spot where he had been had vanished and the fog was starting to lift. "When are you going to start worrying about your own life, _Axel_?"

The captain's lips curled into a devious smile while his venom eyes glared playfully at the fading shadow of the man. "When _you_ stop giving me all these hormonal visits, _sir_."

And with that, the man disappeared, leaving Roxas to stare blankly at the stinging wounds on Axel's back that, sadly, were the only thing that remained from that awkward encounter. Everything else, including the key that had once been around Axel's neck, had vanished along with the fog.

"That, Roxas," Axel said a bit weakly though still cockily, "would be _the_ biggest ass that ever lived." He then dropped the sword before collapsing in a bloody heap on the deck.

_"SIR!" _

* * *

**holy flaming pajamas of justice, batman!! WHO is THAT?? -slap-**

**AXEL!! -hand bandaids- DON'T BLEEEEED!!**

**seriously, who? heehee...care to guess? XD first one with the right answer gets...hm...how about this: if you guess right, you get a oneshot outta me, clear? or something else like: you pick the outcome of a chapter. oh, if that isn't slaving me, i don't know what is. XO i've gotten some people telling me that they have theories about this story...and i hope they shall be answered soon. X3 hoho, let the games begin!**

**on another note! i'm really trying the best i can to update some old stories that haven't been updated since...JULY?? has it really been that long?? ugh. but i swear, as soon as i cut down on the homework and add more to my inspiration, i WILL write.**

**...by the way, that smut scene was...i wanna shoot myself. DX practice...practice...-paces floor-**

**and OO! tis me birthday on the 17th of october. i'm aging! i ish excited! i dunno what i'll get, though. (_hopefully a car...first i need a permit _XPDX gifts just seem to be shrinking over the years. but someone gave me my first ever giftart online! so i feel special. -huggles- ...i support bottom axel, heck yes i do. X3**

**_axel whippage? O.O;; ,  
kokoro77_**


	8. Bang, Bang

**Author's Note:**

**_yeah...9 months...  
_**

******_uhm...i can explain._**

******...not really. DX but i can try! the truth is, i've been having a tough time writing lately. i now it's not a very _solid_ excuse, but it's all i have. i'm sorry. again. ugh. still, 9 months of waiting! 9 months of being on withdrawl from this story! hm. to think that some lady had her baby while i've been gone. xO**

******ah, but it does feel good to be back to FF. i'm trying with the best of my ability to get back here and update, again as best as i can! but i'm starting to get a TAD worried, what with the hardest grade of my life coming up in less than a week now. DX hm. but i suppose i can try, right?**

******would you like to know what inspired me to finish writing this chapter? hm? anyone? anyone? AHH. THE DARK KNIGHT. so, i gotta ask, for all you people who are ultimately pissed at me now:**

******"WHY SO SERIOUSSSS!? HEEHAHAHAHOHOHEE!!" (bad joker impression is bad...)**

******...i hope you guys enjoy reading! hm. i wonder about that title now. SOMEONE SAVE YOURSELF. xO**

* * *

Chapter 8: Bang, Bang

Growing up alone, it was accustomed to Roxas the sight of pain as well as the feeling—both physical and mental. Without a guiding hand, he was pretty much left to discover how the world turned on his own which typically resulted in either a cut or a bruise that which many of the other children rarely had to suffer through. Often he would hurt himself—of course unintentionally—in the process of cleaning, building, cooking even. He _had _learned from many mistakes and he had always tried his hardest to fix them although there really was no one to impress.

That must have been the reason his mistakes were so frequent.

But he persisted to try and used what knowledge he had to clean up a mess that he hadn't even started. It might not have been his mistake and it might not have been right to become involved, but he had to at least make certain that another person's slip ups wouldn't repeat like his. The least he could do was hold out his hand. If only for a minute.

xxXXxx

Axel's wounds had been hidden from the rest of the crew. As soon as the mini ordeal on deck had ended, Roxas made sure to first tend to the captain before swabbing the deck like the good cabin boy that he was. By the time all traces of blood had been washed overboard, Roxas slipped back into Axel's room without another word and without the slightest idea of the time of day. It had been too foggy outside to tell.

Nearly an hour perhaps had passed before Roxas could hear the muffled grunting and scuffling of feet on deck. He yawned and tried to let the crew's noises stay out of his head. Below him was Axel—lying with his back facing the ceiling so that his gashes would heal properly. He'd been unconscious ever since the fog had dissipated a bit and all Roxas could do as cabin boy was keep a close watch over him until he'd stir. As if that would be a good thing. He'd only be sent back down to the brig no doubt.

He groaned on that thought and buried his face in the palms of his hands while resting his elbows on his knees. Who was he _kidding?_ A cabin boy aiding to the captain of the ship...this was madness. _And_, of all things, he had to be _intimate _with Axel. If he didn't live through this ship ride, he prayed that he'd be thrown overboard and left for the sea to with him as it pleased.

Needless to say Roxas was absolutely _ashamed_ in himself. Absolutely.

"Sora," he mumbled after turning his head toward the faint sunlight peeking through Axel's dirty window, "help me."

He'd just shut his eyes when he felt the bedding at his back shift and groan. Sure enough, when Roxas peered over his shoulder, there Axel was with his head resting over his folded arms and his eyes positively hazy and indistinct. Roxas instantly rose to his feet and looked down at Axel, not much because he was worried, but because, well...he had a feeling that they needed to have a little _talk._

"Sir," the blonde uttered under his breath. Axel hadn't looked up right away, and for a moment stared off into space before finally snapping into reality. He blinked and just barely managed to turn his head upward to look at, _ah_, the cabin boy it seemed. He smirked slowly and surveyed the boy through narrowed eyes.

"Hmhm. Hello, Roxas. Morning already?" he asked lasciviously.

Roxas looked away from the captain's stare and nodded his head once, his hands fisted at his sides. "Yes...sir."

"The crew? Tell me what they're doing."

"Out on the deck. All of them are accounted for and working as you want." Roxas' voice remained monotonous, and in honesty he didn't like the feeling. His voice was starting to sound and even _feel_ like it was no longer his own, but one of a slave. A desolate, deteriorating _slave._

Axel began to chuckle although it made his chest throb with pain. He didn't twitch, barely made a sound as the pain rippled through his ribcage and down his spine. Ah, he'd felt this pain before, he thought. Same old bastard gave it to him again. Hm. Thinking back on that strange meeting, Axel's eyebrows lifted and he carefully began to shift his body, to which Roxas looked back in mild concern.

"Mind telling me how you learned t'...mend wounds, Roxas?" Axel asked as he turned and lay on his side to face the boy correctly. Roxas widened his eyes a bit and shrugged.

"It came growing up."

"Hm. See, now, _this_ is one of the reasons why I keep you here to live, Roxas. You're a special one, you know."

Roxas looked off to the side again and after a few more seconds of delay, completely turned his back on Axel and crossed his arms in defiance. "Tell me why I'm special, then. I think I reserve the _right_ to know."

Once again Axel's laughter echoed in the sunlit room. The sounds of the waves were less today, and even the crew sounded less rambunctious than usual. Roxas guessed that something in the fog altered everything. Sadly, his memories seemed to be intact and working, as did all of Axel. _Dammit_

"...Do you know just how greedy you are, Roxas?"

The blonde didn't answer. No, he was here to listen. And so he remained unmoving in the same position.

"It's come to my attention that _no one_ is aware of the level of greed in their body. Regardless of your person, you have greed. It's what we were each born with, you know. And something else? Hah. It's not _us_ who channel it."

Roxas' fingers twitched upon hearing Axel's voice dropping to a strangely familiar tone—similar to one he'd heard only last night.

The redhead continued, this time trying his best to sit upright in the process. "_Ah_—Our greed is...like a time bomb. It sits, _waiting_ for _one_ _infinitesimal action_ to set it off, and when it does we can either choose to let it destroy us from the inside, or let it escape and taint others. When you're jealous, Roxas, do you ever feel like you're still being yourself? Even for a _second?_ Are you still _you?_"

"I—I don't know."

"And you know _why_ you don't?" The bed squeaked just as Axel finally sat himself on the edge of it. He stared down at his feet while he went on to say, "The very person who gave you greed is the same who manipulates it."

"You mean to tell me that _my body_ is being operated...By a—by a—Like I'm some sort of _puppet?_"

"You catch on quickly, boy."

"So—so I'm not—wait, wait," Roxas stuttered and stared down at his palms, opening and closing them unintentionally in deep thought. "That doesn't answer my question at all."

"Oh? Doesn't it?" Axel asked playfully, glancing up at the back of Roxas' head.

"No. If this is pertaining to greed, I can't be special or of _any benefit_ to this crew if I'm just as greedy like everyone else. It's like you just said! _How_, sir, am I _interesting_ to you!?"

Anger was clearly beginning to drip over Roxas' words as he turned back toward the bed and faced the weak and unstable captain with his blue eyes flashing in demand. Well, Axel sat perfectly still with his hands gripping onto the edge of the bed and his head still turned down. Roxas wasn't looking for Axel's eyes, but was staring at his bandaged torso moving ever-so-slightly with his breathing.

He knew, for once, he was at least pleased to see that the captain was breathing.

Roxas couldn't see it, but Axel had parted his lips and began to mouth the words to some pirate song yet again. Halfway through, he slowly raised his head, locked his emerald eyes with the cabin boy and replied:

"Believe what you wish, Roxas. Hm. But unlike the others..._you'll be the one to save me._"

xxXXxx

Nearly an entire month had flown by since Roxas had joined Axel's crew against his will. And all that while, he still hadn't grown comfortable with salt water and _still_ hadn't softened up to falling asleep on the soggy floorboards of the brig. Yes, it was _just_ as he suspected: as soon as Axel and his conversation some weeks ago had ended on an awkward note, Roxas was immediately taken down to the brig by none other than Luxord.

If he were just a _bit_ taller, he had a feeling that he'd be able to knock that stupid gambler to the floor.

Luxord hadn't asked about Axel's wounds, merely because Axel prohibited him to. And because Luxord was _immensely_ loyal, to Roxas' surprise he didn't spread the word around the ship. To his surprise _again_, Axel resumed duty as captain on the deck the following day with his same black outfit covering the red markings on his back. He'd peeled off the bandages that Roxas had tied.

Hm. All that stupid work for _nothing._

But something was oddly out of place about Axel after that incident. It seemed that Roxas was the only one to notice aside from the captain himself. First, the necklace with the rusted key was gone. Last, his sword sheath was left without the double bladed sword. Roxas couldn't help but think about this _and _Axel's distorted words every day he spent with his back against the wall down in his salty confinement.

"_You'll be the one to save me."_

He scratched his head and kept his eyes tightly shut. Nope. Hadn't gotten used to sea sickness either. All this thinking wasn't helping _at all._

On top of this misery, Roxas had been doomed in solitary confinement for what he suspected to be a week now. He hadn't seen the full light of day in weeks, and Roxas honestly feared that it was taking a toll on his psyche. The most he ever got to light were the thin yellow strings that poked through the cracks in the boat. They sat very still and fragile beside him, only to vanish before he could admire them.

With his back slack against the iron bars of his cell, Roxas opened his eyes and to his surprise spotted a shadow cast before him on the opposite wall.

"Huh?"

He heard light footsteps descending the familiar stairs at his back and when they drew closer, he spun on an impulse and squinted at the dark figure moving under the sunlight.

"Who—?"

"Me. Demyx."

Roxas had to think for a second before he finally remembered a face to go with the name. Right. The strange guy with the...rum, was it? Ah, he nearly forgot all about Blue. That stupid island. Now that he thought about it, maybe turning down Axel's offer to stay there a bit longer was a bad idea. His heavy eyes stung as they tried to adjust to the light and get a better look at Demyx's face.

"What're you doing here?"

Demyx inched closer toward the cell and grabbed onto one of the bars nearest Roxas' fingers. Roxas stared at it while Demyx proceeded to explain himself.

"Came to tell you we saw land! We're anchored in a cove!" he said eagerly. Roxas didn't look too amazed. Ch, they'd spotted land every _week_ now, and each time they did Axel made some men disembark and pillage for ammunition and whatever the bloody hell pirates loved most. Never women, for some reason.

He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. See, acting this way was fine around Demyx. There wasn't a _spot_ of authority in him to worry about.

"So? We've seen land a lot recently, right? Something...special about this little discovery?"

Demyx released a high pitched giggle into the dark room and replied, "You bet. It's a _huge_ town this time."

"Don't we already have enough ammuni—?"

"_Fun, _Roxas. This time the whole _crew _is goin' on shore. Wouldn't 'spect that from the captain, right? He said that we're gonna do this one for pleasure—just like when we found _you!_"

The blonde scoffed on the thought and turned away from the avid Demyx with a cold shoulder. "Fun for you, yeah."

"Ha, that's easy for you t' say. I'm sure if you got out there and—"

"I'm not _allowed_, Demyx," Roxas hissed, shooting a sharp glance over his shoulder. "Since Blue, Axel said I can't set foot on land, remember? I...I can't do that." He lowered his head and began to nibble on his lower lip anxiously. Secretly, he _wanted_ Demyx to reply with something along the lines of he'd gotten an order from higher up that broke that prohibition just this once. Alas...no.

Demyx simply shrugged, heaved a sigh and turned his back to the boy. "You know, I'd get you outta there..."

Roxas shook his head solemnly and quietly moved toward the back of the cell where he spotted that old coconut sitting where he usually sat. He kicked it out of the way and sent it rolling toward the cell door, only this time when it hit it, the door wouldn't budge.

"Anyway, you're idea of fun is miles away from mine."

With those words, Demyx stared at the cabin boy, stared at the cell door and finally withdrew into the light dripping down the stairway. Roxas tried not to look at it and felt strangely relieved when Demyx shut the door behind him and left the brig flooded with cold black once more. Odd. Demyx...actually looked serious about bending the rules. No, no.

From the appearance of the light, Roxas could tell that it had to be some minutes past sunset. And from the sounds behind his wall, Demyx had been telling the truth when he said this was a big town. All those people, horses, shallow water, _mothers_...He didn't want to listen _too_ intently, though. All those busy sounds would just bring him back to his home.

Hm. Home.

_Home..._

_Home..._

"_Listen here, all of you! Captain's orders are as follows: go ashore, take all you want and kill all you can. Leave no person standing if that be the case. The fewer eyes we have, the better, understand? Now the ship will remain here in the cove, so don't be expecting any of the townies to find her. You know what to do."_

"_Ha-ha-HA! A real treat for us, ey?"_

"_Don't leave your pistol dry, Xigbar. You'll never hear the end of it if you do."_

"_Really? You think?"_

"_You're the captain's head of arms, huh? Miss a shot, lose all your bullets and he'll be laughing all the way to his grave. Ha-ha..."_

"_Who said anything 'bout guns, Marly? Come on, now. You bring the knives to this sort of place."_

"_Reason being?"_

"_Ha-ha-ha...simple. Ya get t' see the look in their faces. Too quick...with a gun. It's boring. Besides, you seen the layout of the town? Highly doubt they've even heard of a pistol, let alone a dagger!"_

"_Hm. You're a terrible sadist."_

"_Me? Nah. I just know how t' have a good time."_

"_Of course...Of course. Oh, by the way."_

"_What's that?"_

"_You dealt with the cabin boy's cell like we planned?"_

"_Wouldn't be much of a pirate if I didn't."_

"_Ah, the captain should be in for a wonderful time like the rest of us."_

"_Yeah. Him an' that cabin boy. Ha-ha-ha-HA!"_

xxXXxx

"_I'm not fighting. I'm just testing. Riku found this one out at the coves a couple weeks ago and had me fix it up. Neat, huh? Think it might've been from a pirate shi—"_

"_What is it you want, boy? Tell me what you want."_

"_Trust me!"_

"_...Do you know just how greedy you are, Roxas?"_

"_Tell me what you want..."_

"_Greed treats every one of its victims equally..."_

"_The very person who gave you greed is the same who manipulates—"_

"_WHAT IS IT YOU WANT, BOY!?"_

"Mmm—you—_DON'T—!" _Dripping in cold sweat, Roxas forced his eyes open and frantically searched the darkness of his cell while still lying with bated breath on the floor. When he was sure that he was alone, he brought a hand to his forehead and kept it there while he tried to calm himself down. Another nightmare. More voices he couldn't give a face to.

Minutes passed before Roxas decided that it hurt to be lying down so long and he sat upright with his legs crossed, facing the rusty door once again. He looked toward his right and found that there was no light poking through the crevices in the wall...which usually meant...

"Nighttime?" he panted and knelt down on his knees to get a better look at the world outside through the largest crack in the wall. Sure enough, the ocean appeared pitch black and the small sliver of the moon was already touching the horizon. Roxas pushed away from the wall and rubbed the back of his neck in thought.

Something...didn't feel quite right. Earlier he didn't feel like he had to be outside, now his body was on the verge of collapsing if he didn't. This was a _need_ now! He had to be out there, even if it was night. Even if it was dark and freezing...he had to go. Roxas needed connection; he needed _sound, _touch...something human!

But as he got to his feet and made a mad dash for the door, he paused in his tracks and rubbed his throat as if he'd said something all wrong. This was odd. Going against the rules? Roxas, no. No, listen to yourself, Roxas. Would you rather _die?_

But the more his mind raced, the more Roxas began to think it insane. It wasn't fair that he had to be held captive despite all he'd done on this ship. His hard work—blood, sweat, all of it he'd sacrificed. And even the damn _captain! _He thought they were on better terms...

Roxas' eyes sparked as his fingers coiled tighter around the bars of the door. He gave it a rough shake and kicked it sharply with his toes. It felt like fire was ripping through his veins—like it was taking over his body, making him nothing but a marionette on two spider web thin strings.

"Let. Me. _Out!_" Roxas growled to himself as his fingers clawed at the iron in desperation. It wasn't quite clear what he wanted. Revenge? Shelter? Human contact? Words? _Sagacity?_

And so with one final kick, one hinge to Roxas' door let off a piercing shriek and tiny sparks flew and it unlatched from the cell and left the door hanging _open _at an awkward angle. For a moment, Roxas' eyes widened in shock at what he'd just done, but that quickly subsided as he took a quick glance around and made for the stair way like a madman.

Up on deck, Roxas realized that he was the only one left on the ship. So what Demyx had said was true—the entire crew was in for a night of pleasure. All on Axel, of course. Still, he kept 

his steps light and even so as not to disturb any trap that Axel was very likely to have placed. The blonde adjusted one of the black ribbons around his wrists and with narrowed eyes looked out over the edge. There he saw the town lit up with life through a large hole in a rock structure which encompassed the entire ship, keeping her from the town's eyes.

His lips parted in awe of the sight and even more when he spotted black smoke billowing out of one corner of the town in particular. It was all too familiar. So familiar in fact that Roxas figured he now had more reason to go. The new town was bigger than his home, but already Roxas' eyes spotted many similarities. Now, it didn't look like he was too far from the shore either. To Roxas' surprise, should he decide to jump from here, making it to shore would be barely a swim. _Barely._

"I want this..."

On that, the blonde inhaled sharply and peered over the ship's side at the water. It was still, thankfully, and without his typical second thought to trouble him, Roxas set foot onto the railing and leapt head first into the waiting sea below. As his body slowly sank toward the bottom, his body tingled and his hands clenched...

This was the closest to home he would ever be.

xxXXxx

For a while, Roxas really _did_ consider rolling around on the sand like he had done on Blue after some good rum. After all, he really did feel drunk, more his mind than his body. Thinking clearly wasn't working out tonight, and while Roxas knew this, he still persisted and set foot onto shore panting and with a weak smile on his face. He felt the wind pushing him—at his back, at his front. The sounds! More than just waves! Footsteps, dogs, doors opening, shouting...

Elated out of his mind, Roxas opened his eyes and ruffled up his hair upon taking his first step on land in ages. His legs wobbled only slightly but after retaining his balance, he slowly broke into a solid walk toward what appeared to be the entrance to the town. From where he stood, the beach was covered in a large shadow of a poorly built wall which must've been placed as some sort of protection.

"Hm. Never had a pirate attack, have you?" Roxas whispered toward the wall as he approached it. But because he was so engrossed in staring at it, Roxas was completely oblivious to what was going on elsewhere. This immediately caused him to trip over something hard at his feet, sending him stumbling with a sore foot and eventually onto his stomach.

"Damn," he grated out as he brushed sand out of his hair. At first it appeared to be driftwood that he'd hit, but after a closer look Roxas made it out to be a lone gun with its end pointing in his direction. He stared into it and almost immediately this triggered an image of Sora in his mind...

The blonde turned his head toward his feet and sniffled once. But no matter how many times he tried to make his words come out, they became trapped in his throat. With each try, Roxas grew frustrated and eventually he turned on the gun, kicked back sand over its silver surface and broke into a run as he entered the town. The smell of smoke was thick and it nearly stung his eyes as he rushed past home after home down this long and dim street.

All the while, his smile was still on his face.

...And all the while...he was watched.

"Mm. Not a good idea for you to be running, Roxas...You know how _bad_ it is for you."

Click, click.

"Turned down your own pistol in the sand, too, hm? Tsk, tsk. Not all too bright of you either."

Click, click...

"Running into an unknown city without a weapon..."

Click, click..._click._

"...And against..._my word?_"

Slowly—just as the boy was halfway down the deserted street—the redhead peeled away from his hiding spot against the wall and tilted his head curiously as he watched Roxas drift further and further away from him. The tip of his tongue ventured out from between his parted lips as he remembered just what Roxas was...who he was. How he was. Hm. He licked his upper lip leisurely and rolled his head back...thinking of those boy's _lips._

But he didn't smile. He barely breathed. All he did was stare forward...until finally he lifted his arm...

...and quickly took aim.

"...This was not meant..._for __you._"

_Bang._**_  
_**

* * *

******DON'T DO IT, AXEL! DON'T DO IT. AHHHHH. THINK OF...of, ah. uhm. yeah. let's stick with think of roxas in general. XO**

******you guys, i'm having SERIOUS issues with my hands right now. mmm. i think my carpal tunnel is acting up again. well, that's the life of a writer, i guess. and i've been working around the clock with each of my multi-chapter stories so that doesn't help at all! honestly, what COMPELLED ME TO SUBMIT ALL OF THEM SO CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER LIKE THIS?? mmm...  
**

******well, enough of that. onto something else. xO as i mentioned earlier, yes; the DARK KNIGHT made me write this tonight. ok, not the actual dark knight himself, but the freakin' ass kickin' movie, that's what. i really don't feel like retyping my review for it here, so if you stalk me at DA you can read about it there. (likely as not. XD) let's just say that, ah, my inner fangirl was on the verge of dying in a good way, and, uhm...i'm guilty as charged for thinking naughty things involving _JOKER X BATMAN_.**

******(_shut up, i was having fun. XO_)**

******ah. for some reason, a lot of people are comparing axel with the joker online! has anyone else SEEN this? i mean, sure, it makes sense a _tad_, but it's not exactly _axel_, you know what i mean? hm...maybe i'm just thinking to hard. or maybe i'm just being a hypocrite again. (i mean, psh, i have him as a freakin' PIRATE OVER HERE, HELLO? XO) so, yeah. i saw the dark knight (AWFUL TITLE) today! or rather yesterday since it's one AM right now...CRAP. i really want to be able to mimick the joker's laugh. SERIOUSLY. i'd meet loads of sexy men if i could do that...in bed? xO LAME.**

******anyway! hope that this chapter compensated even a LITTLE for the time i've been away. again, i'm going to try the best i can this school year, but for now we can only wait an see. (honestly, i'm REALLY hecka excited to update the next chapter, so it shouldn't be too far away, m'kay? oh, right. -pelvic thrust-)**

******_...LET'S PUT A SMILE ON THAT FACE,  
kokoro77_**


	9. Prisoners

**Author's note: ...i want to shoot myself. Dx**

**well, not _really_, but you catch my drift, right? uhm. it's a bit difficult to explain why i've been gone. i think i should just stick to stop apologizing about my hiatus' and random breaks in updating and concentrate on, well..._just getting to the point_. Dx  
**

**uhm. my birthday is coming up? on the 17th? sp-spare...me?**

**GAH. I'M BRIBING YOU. fdhsjahffdshauiwqyh111 sigh. so, have at this chapter of piratey JOY.** **i'm pretty sure you'll be UTTERLY baffled by roxas and axel's antics. XD  
**

* * *

Chapter 9: Prisoners

_Bang, bang, bang_...

It was a normal sound to a pirate, of course, so there was absolutely nothing about it that could've influenced them in any way. Once the trigger was pulled and the bullet went flying, life and death was left entirely in the hands of, well, the _bullet_. Never the pirate. There would never be a clear path for a bullet to take, depending on the speed, depending on the wind, the time, the _shooter_. Why, once the bullet left the gun there was no guarantee that someone would be spared or killed.

Therefore, what ever became of the shot, the shooter had nothing to feel sorry or happy for—it wasn't _their_ fault.

However, at that very split second that one finger pulled the trigger and a single bullet went flying through the cold and stiff air that night, possibly that streak was broken.

Axel watched the bullet fly...and hoped that his aim was as terrible as usual. And his smirk suddenly began to shrink in recollection of the cabin boy...running...and running...

Was the bullet _faster_? Or was Roxas? Were they at the same speed, perhaps? Axel watched them both fading in the distance down what suddenly became the longest alleyway he'd even laid eyes on. Unconsciously, he nibbled at his lower lip and squinted slightly as if to say that he was _nervous_. But no matter what he did, Roxas seemed to become slower and slower while his shot sped faster and _faster_.

"Dammit," he swore under his breath and at once began to run the path of the bullet down the abandoned alley. Then, with his eyebrows furrowed and his heart positively _racing_, the captain threw his pistol into the sand, held his breath and stopped dead in his tracks.

"_Roxas_!"

At that, the blonde spun around and it was with that movement that the bullet grazed the back of his head and went on to become lodged in a wooden building at the end of the alley. Axel watched as the boy—in shock at both his name being called out and a strange gust of wind running past his hair—brought a hand to the back of his head and frantically stared around until his bright blue eyes locked onto the face of the _captain_ down the way.

"Dammit," Roxas hissed and in an instant turned the left corner so that he was completely out of sight.

"No, no, hold...on!" Axel yelled out with an outstretched hand before letting it go limp as Roxas dashed away. Well, that certainly went swimmingly. Too swimmingly, in fact. He slowly brought his shooting hand to his forehead where he began to rub his temples. His skin felt cold from where the gun had rested against it and he immediately ripped his hand away from his head after feeling it.

"I _must_ be drunk." With that, Axel once more ran down the alley and headed for the direction that he'd seen Roxas head for, all the while trying to breathe normally amongst the thick clouds of smoke beginning to choke the once glowing town. Now _that_ he was guilty for.

xxXXxx

_"Mom! Mom, where are you?"_

_"Head for the docks! The docks, there, there!"_

_"Leave him!"_

_  
"I won't!"_

_"You think you're the smart one, do ya?"_

By the time Roxas had entered what appeared to be the center of the entire town, he'd run through what felt like miles and miles of chaos and smoke. Thankfully, in the square he stood in there was little smoke and less people running about, frantically waving at others and calling for loved ones they'd lost. Coughing slightly, Roxas ran some fingers through his hair and made a short glance over his shoulder, remembering that the captain had _seen him_ running into town.

Ahead of him was a well and beside it a wooden stage made for executions. As he tried to search around for a place to hide, Roxas noticed that a majority of the crew he'd come to know were standing upon the execution platform, watching with stoic behavior the townspeople covered in black ash.

He nearly walked up to the platform before he heard a loud crack to his left and he turned his attention to yet another alley leading into the town square. As it turned out, the flames were just starting to engulf that part of the town and walls from the houses were beginning to collapse into themselves. What Roxas _didn't_ expect to see was the fire starter—the shooter in the crew—to emerge from the alley with pistol raised and face positively painted with pleasure. Upon seeing him, Roxas ducked behind a few barrels and covered his face to prevent the ashes from stinging his cheeks.

"Ha-ha!" the shooter yelled while running toward the execution stage. The crew members immediately snapped out of their trance-like state and turned toward the man with smiles of their own. The female in the group hopped down from the platform and appeared to giggle from what Roxas could see between his fingers.

"Haven't had this much fun since we took that boy, hm?" she yelled over the roaring fire.

The man with the pistol placed his hands on his hips and cocked his head toward the alley he'd run out of. "Even better, I'd say. Wonder what the captain's plannin'?"

"Oy! Down this way! Uniformed bastards'll _gut_ us if we're caught!"

"Ah, you heard 'im!"

With that order, Roxas watched the group hop down from the platform—disregarding if one of them stumbled or not—and followed the voice of Luxord to his right, cackling and whooping amongst other ruthless pirate-y things. Sitting in the mud like that and shielding his eyes, Roxas didn't _feel_ much like anything. He wasn't enjoying himself nor was he feeling accomplished for coming ashore.

In fact, all he felt was _empty_.

"Weird..." he muttered, staring down at his chest. The blonde felt the heat pushing against his wet skin, drying him in a mere second, and hopped up once the heat began to burn. He had to hold his tongue to keep from yelling and forced himself to run back toward the platform which was not yet touched by the orange, crackling flames. For a while he stood beside the platform, merely observing the damage that the crew had done with nothing more than guns and their bare hands. Possibly a dagger, maybe a dull sword had been drawn as well.

Either way, Roxas was in disbelief that such a destructive _monster_ could happen...Already the fire was eating the rooftops—places of refuge for observing the sky, the stars. Now the sky was pitch black, thick with suffocating smoke. Rooftops were broken in two, collapsing into rooms and killing those who confided in them for peace.

Life...was deteriorating before his eyes.

He shook his head furiously toward his feet and, with fists clenched, looked toward the footsteps of the crew imprinted in the mud and broke into a run after them. Chances are that wherever they were headed, he'd find an exit.

A place to escape the _pain_.

But, with every two steps made, Roxas seemed to be drawn back 10. His body suddenly stopped _dead_ in place and he wasn't sure as to _why_ he'd done it. Another second here and he'd be killed...another second here and he wouldn't here that voice.

"_Roxas_!"

Roxas hesitantly turned his head to the right, wide eyed and stiff expecting to see something like a ghost about ready to take his life. "I-I—" His teeth chattered, but he wasn't cold. His fingers twitched and his skin covered with bumps, but he wasn't _extremely_ frightened. "I—"

"Oy! Where are you, boy?!"

Roxas nearly scoffed hearing the word "boy" but it stopped midway in his throat. He assumed that being on a first name basis was necessary in this pirate world he lived in. No, no, he _wasn't_ living like a pirate. He wasn't even a _pirate_! This was insanity! He needed to run...he needed to run!

"No!" he shouted in all directions, twisting his body this way and that with his arms thrown at his sides. The fire was now all around him and left the footsteps and his getaway path covered in bright sparks of yellow and red. The odds of him escaping without a single burn were slim, but Roxas still persisted to back toward the path all while yelling angrily at the captain's voice coming from all directions.

"You and your _GAMES_ are _DONE_, Axel! I don't have _ANY_ part in this crew! _I'M NOTHING BUT A PLAY THING FOR YOU!_"

A loud chuckle was the first response and Roxas stared hysterically for the source. "Where do you get off saying _that_, Roxas?"

"You know that's true!"

"Truth? Or _fact_, hm? Which is it?!"

Games, games, _games_! Everything! This world, its people and its disasters were _nothing _but toys to Axel. Roxas knew this the moment he saw him staring right into his eyes. Axel's eyes were filled with _nothing_ but malice and transgression. Their relationship was a _farce_! All of it! The conversations, the _touching_, this—this "you'll be the one to save me" act...what were they meant to prove? Roxas felt dejected in the fire and, in one split second decision, clenched his fists so tightly together his fingers went numb, shut his eyes and fell to the ground in a heap.

"I CAN'T LIVE BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"...Would _that_ be the truth as well, Roxas?!"

"IT'S THE TRUTH!" the blonde shot back, raising his head toward the sky. "IT'S THE TRUTH!" His voice trembled and his eyes stung, begging for tears to run though it was too hot for them to fall. He shook the bangs away from his face and suddenly fell into deep regret for coming ashore. No. To come here was a mistake.

_He'd succumbed to greed._

This was punishment.

"...I gave you truth," he mumbled in a shaken voice, burying half his face in his knees. "You give me _lies_..."

With that, Roxas felt he'd ended the conversation...and yet, for Axel not to fight for the last word was unusual. What he wouldn't _give_ for Sora's pistol right now. If he had it, he could've shot a few bullets to force some answers out of the captain. Instead, Roxas' mind acted as his weapon and drove him to look up from his knees and around him...at the flames that burns and licked.

Something...felt out of place. Roxas didn't understand it at first, but he was beginning to make the connection between Axel...and the danger surrounding them both. It just occurred to the boy that not only was _he_ in danger, but so was the captain. He lifted his head further up and turned back around toward the direction of the alley the crew had disappeared in.

"...He—" Roxas swallowed and blinked in disbelief. Axel...wasn't responding to him.

At the time, he wanted Axel to die in his own destruction. Yet, at the same time, he didn't want there to be another death to deal with. Of all people, he was worrying about the life of _him_.

There were too many things to worrying and stress about. Life, death, what was worth the time and what wasn't...all of it Roxas hated at the moment. With that thought, he coughed on a deep breath and crouched as low to the ground as he could so that he could move as far away from the burning platform as possible. As expected, his wrists, fingertips and neck were attacked by the fire, but the flames hadn't touched him long enough as he was able to crawl away.

He couldn't have another break down like that...sacrificing his life like that...

"_Found one_!"

"What?!" Roxas blurted upon feeling his feet being kicked out from underneath him as soon as he'd stood up. His head was the first to hit the ground, sending his body into darkness for a few of the longest seconds of his life. The world spun and spun, his sight blurred and shook. Roxas tried to lift an arm to reach for something to pull himself up, but as soon as he did so his wrist was pulled forcefully and he felt something rough and coarse rubbing against his skin.

"L-let me go!" Remembering the tactic he'd used when he was first captured like this, Roxas swung his feet about wildly below him and tried to drag his legs once he was forced to stand. Who ever had grabbed him did not shake him like Luxord had or Xaldin, but rather sent a sharp slap across his face and threw him to the ground. Roxas choked on a yell and felt his entire body rejecting his commands.

Stand, punch, kick, stand, open your eyes, don't stop yelling..._stay awake_.

"_You pirate bastards have had your last of fun._"

"I didn't—ow!" Roxas once again felt a slap to his face and barely had time to think before another followed. By this time he had his back leaning against something cold and untouched by fire from what it felt against his ripped shirt. The voice addressing him he'd never heard before and his arms shook thinking about the face.

"_There's no sense! Kill 'im and sniff out the others!_"

"No, no, no..." Roxas muttered, his eyes refusing to open.

"_What if—_"

"_Are you a man?! Shoot him! Shoot!_"

"NO!" Roxas cried, nearly _pleaded_ as he twitched his legs to try and inch away from that blunt order. He knew the men yelling were talking about him, and he _knew_ that at least one had a gun pointed at his head by now. He could smell the gunpowder mixed with the ash, and had the worst feeling that fire would be his last image.

"Fancy a fight there, mate?"

Wait...that voice. That _voice_! Still twitching and shaking out of his mind, Roxas turned his head to the left where he'd finally heard Axel _speak_. While it was a good thing that he'd heard someone familiar amongst all the chaos and blindness, it was still nerve wracking to know that these _strangers_ were about ready to attack Axel as well. Thinking this, Roxas' heart sank and he immediately forced his eyes open to view what was taking place, even though the movements were blurring and dark.

"_Another one of 'em_?"

"And by _them_ you mean...?"

Roxas knew that this was no time for Axel to be joking around—joking would only lead to death.

"_Pirate_."

"Ah. So you judge me to be one?"

"_Enough!_"

"Ah, ah! Oy! Bloody good try, that time."

"Axel!" Roxas, squinting a bit to straighten out the image of Axel dodging someone or something, tried to move his legs to make himself noticeable to the captain. Judging by the sound of metal on metal coming closer, Axel was moving toward him at a quick pace, sword in hand. He was running.

From there, the rest of the sounds and happenings were but a blur to the poor cabin boy. He'd heard the metal clanging and the footsteps, the fire and the buildings collapsing. He'd felt himself being kicked in the side and snatched away from the cold ground. His chest was heaving, his pulse was out of his control. But somewhere in all this confusion he could feel a pulse beating against his arm and the warmth of another body holding him. It wasn't the touch of a pirate, nor was it the heartbeat of a pillaging, bloodthirsty captain...

At last he heard that voice. Axel was speaking to him, keeping him awake...Axel was running away. _To protect him_?

But despite the soothing sound of his voice, Roxas was far from comfort. Axel could only run so far...and soon, Roxas felt Axel's breathing hitch for the first time in his life.

"...This is why you never leave the ship, _Roxas_."

"_Once we find their captain, I swear—_"

But by then the world had fallen to black.

xxXXxx

_I'd like to meet a pirate one day, Roxas. Or at least _become _one._

_There you go again._

_No, really! It'd be a great adventure, wouldn't it?_

_So you say._

_Hm? Why? You don't think so?_

_Well...it's not that I doubt it'd be fun, it's just that you wouldn't get much freedom like that, don't you think?_

_Are you joking? Open seas? Weapons at your disposal?_

_That's if you're the leader, you know. Not all pirates get that kind of freedom._

_Thought you weren't interested in pirates._

_I'm not. But with all this conversation going around town and all this...news about them taking one town after another, it's hard to ignore the word 'pirate'._

_Mm. Then...I want to be the captain! Just for the freedom you said!_

_I'd hate to be there when _you _try to fight for something like that. It's like we learned from the books: "Man is born free, but everywhere else he's in chains."_

_Ah, those books and rules never apply to captains and scallywags, Roxas. They've all got the talent for picking locks..._

xxXXxx

"...I didn't mean for this to happen."

There was no reply for the blonde that night as he sat, once again, cold and feeling abandoned on a soggy and less flat hardwood floor. At least these men had the sense to build a stone bench to sit on otherwise Roxas _knew_ that he'd die sleeping tonight...and however many nights to follow. He sighed and slumped against the iron bars with his wrists bound together over his lap.

His neck felt terribly burnt on his left side since the burning platform had been on that side of his earlier. The ruffled white shirt he'd been wearing was charred at the cuffs of the sleeves and stank of burning wood and sea water. While it may have felt degrading and completely _lousy_ to be stuck _again_ in a jail cell, Roxas felt a sense of satisfaction.

At least he wasn't _dead._

And, at least Axel wasn't either. The problem was, the captain was refusing to speak to him for whatever reason. Well, on the contrary, Roxas had a feeling that Axel was refusing because, ah, he'd escaped the ship. Then again, Axel was plain difficult to read, so he never knew what caused his emotions to run the way they did.

Tiredly, Roxas stared down at his fingers and kept the image of the captain sitting against the opposite wall within his line of sight. Axel didn't seem bothered that he'd been bound against his will and simply sat away from Roxas on the floor with his head turned toward the sad excuse for a window to Roxas' left. Surprisingly, very little of Axel's clothes were burnt, but the bits of skin that were visible were either bleeding or badly bruised.

The two men that had spotted them were government officials for the town, which made sense because of the town's enormous size. They'd first followed Axel through the burning square and proceeded to corner him in a dead end of an alleyway. From there, well, the rest Roxas had been unconscious through and he didn't want to ask the captain unless he looked...approachable.

Roxas slowly raised his head and brought his knees together while still seated on the floor across from Axel. He gathered up what courage he had left in him and pushed trauma to the side as he parted his lips and once again filled the moonlit room with his voice.

"You shouldn't be here with me," he muttered, lowering his head as if he was ashamed in himself. That was partially true, that he was ashamed in himself, but at the same time he was just sucking up to the captain so that his possible punishment would be lessened. Axel, unfortunately, didn't budge. He tried again.

"I just—I could've found my own way out."

That time, Axel eyes shut and he cocked his head a bit so that his other eye was visible to the blonde. Roxas, for the longest time, watched the captain's face under the pale silver seeping in through the barred window. He looked...not _sad_, but rather disappointed. And it was with that sight that Roxas swallowed and shared the feeling.

His eyes lowered farther until they appeared shut. He couldn't _take_ being so helpless. It hurt too much. Too many things hurt too much. Too many things were difficult to understand. And here he was. It was the perfect opportunity to have so many of his questions answered...if only he didn't feel so undeserving of them.

"...I meant that." He tried to hide a grumble in those words by nipping his lower lip. Suddenly, Axel's eyes opened and appeared to glare at Roxas like _daggers_. Ow. Roxas could feel the stabbing...So maybe Axel wasn't exactly buying it.

Another pause...another still couple of minutes passed, when, to Roxas' surprise, Axel used the bars behind him to inch his back upward so he could stand properly. From there, Roxas merely watched his feet cross the stone floor—both of their boots were creating rapping noises as they tapped at the floor. Then, as he stood so high over Roxas, Axel dove down and to the best of his ability took his hand and clutched the boy's throat to keep the air from passing.

His teeth weren't bared, his eyes were simply narrowed and no smile was drawn on his lips. Roxas, unwillingly, held his breath and kept his face straight as he stared directly into Axel's penetrating glare. He couldn't part his lips to breathe and he couldn't wiggle his fingers to push Axel away.

"Listen," the redhead whispered in a rough voice. Roxas did just that and tried to swallow again. "I can't give you sympathy. I can't _accept_ your apologies. The fact of the matter _is_..." With his voice lowering, Axel closed in on Roxas' face and his other hand soon joined in holding his pulsing throat...

"_You betrayed me_. And because of that I can't promise you _a thing_. I can't trust that you—"

"Axel, I—"

"No." The captain interrupted immediately at the sound of his name. No. Roxas didn't have the right to say his name anymore. Axel _hated_ that he had to disapprove of Roxas saying his name, though. He _liked_ hearing him say it. He _liked_...having Roxas. If he couldn't have Roxas, he couldn't have a life. But because Roxas had turned on him, oh, that all went out the window.

Axel hung his head for a short while and thought things through, all while still holding Roxas captive in a near-death choke. He could kill him now if he pleased...one _tiny_ squeeze would end his life.

But no.

"_You two. On your feet_."

At the sound of a gruff voice, laced perfectly with a fine British accent, both Axel and Roxas turned to the right where the jail cell door was located. As expected, a man clad in navy blue attire stepped into the moonlight and with a stiff face ordered again for them to stand, this time with his pistol drawn.

"I said on your _feet_."

Roxas obeyed immediately while Axel did the same, just a little less willingly since he sighed roughly and rolled his eyes. Clearly he wasn't used to being bossed. Roxas had the hardest time standing and by the time he had, both Axel and the man appeared impatient. He lowered his head and waited, his nerves on the verge of breaking.

"The rest of your crew has been sighted," the soldier began without so much as a glance at the two. Axel smirked in the dark as if to say well done. "If you want them free, we'll need the identity of the captain. As the others have objected by saying that they aren't in charge, it only leaves me to suspect one of _you_."

Roxas' eyes widened and he took a quick glance at Axel to his left who was still smirking as if he...enjoyed this interrogation! Clearly if he came forth and admitted, he'd...be killed. That's what he'd learned through Sora, at least...

And Roxas couldn't have that.

"Now which is it? Come on."

"That would be—"

"_Me_...sir."

And with that reply, Roxas lifted his gaze from the floor, painted a false smirk on his face and left the soldier to stare him right in the eyes...and Axel to gawk in disbelief with his lips parted.

"...I'm the captain. Do with me as you wish."

* * *

**XO HOLY. CRAP. ROXAS IS A LIAR LIAR PLANTS FOR HIRE.**

**oh, i love spongbob. XD just haven't watched it in, like, 5 years. seriously, i'm not kidding. i'm on a spongebob HIATUS. XO so, as usual, something influenced me tocomplete this, and NORMALLY i refuse to post in the day time...but DEATH NOTE, once again, made me post and write.**

**GAIZ. i bought the first movie last week and, WOW. it was just all sorts of awesome squished together with peanut butter and jelly and all sorts of wonderful foodstuffs...and apples. my dad eventually got interested as i was watching it in japanese for the second time around and he watched it two nights ago by himself. THEN, my mother walked in just as something totally epic was about to happen (i ain't spoilin' it for ya) and saw ryuk...needless to say that her reaction was just as equally EPIC. XD**

**SO. movin' along. wonder what's goin' on with roxas' head? _i needs something in return. ha-ha. _(i rather like axel as a prisoner...in chains...in the dark...AH.)  
_  
i'm guessing axel's not a happy camper xO,  
kokoro77_**


	10. Betrayal

**Author's Note: (.-.) i'm hanging upside down, in case you can't tell...**

**the reason for this delayed update is a complicated one. if you follow me on deviantArt, the reason should be already known to you. if you stalk me on livejournal, the reason should also be already known to you. as for those of you who just stalk me _here_, i'll make this as brief as i possibly can:**

**these past two weeks have been full of sadness, abandonment and most of all betrayal. it's been difficult to remain _here_ these past few days, reason being that i, along with many of my classmates, have lost a best friend. he was a teacher, he was a mentor and he was a father figure to a majority of us for nearly five years. he resigned last week and just this week the reason for his departure was announced to us. this reason was unreal...and it is because of that that i have not been feeling inclined to write, let alone do homework very well these past weeks.**

**for this i must apologize. i know that such happenings should not get in the way of my personal life or my school life, but this is virtually impossible to ignore. people say, "move on, move on", but to say that is just rude and improbable.**

**so please try to bear with me, and please try to understand that right now is a very hard time to be living in...for all of my girls. i love them all dearly, and i dedicate this chapter to them all. may you all find solace and please never forget that we will always be here for each other...

* * *

**

Chapter 10: Betrayal

At first, the looks that Roxas got in return for his strange answer really did make him smile in amusement. On the other side of the coin, what he'd just done was anything _but_ worth smiling for. Him? The _captain_? _What_ had he gotten himself into? If the image was unbelievable to himself then the odds of the soldier believing the same was slim. Axel seemed to agree with Roxas—his lips were moving slightly and in doubt as if he was searching for the right words and how to say them.

The truth was: there wasn't much that Axel could say now. He'd been too late to respond...and in the end Roxas had the last word. A first for the captain, no doubt. So Roxas wondered, was Axel in disbelief at being upstaged by a cabin boy or was he _truly_ baffled by his strange ploy? He'd never seen Axel so silent. In sleep, yes, but never awake. He tried not to shiver and give away his identity while he took a step closer toward the iron door. The soldier watched intently and leaned closer with his eyes squinted.

"You, hm?"

Roxas scoffed and crossed his arms. That's it. Play the part. "Does it offend you?"

The soldier looked taken aback. "Offend me?"

"Clearly I don't level up to your standards for a captain, let alone a pirate."

The man grumbled something to the side and with one hand grabbed the lock that hung from the door and shook it as he reached for the key in his pocket. "I haven't a single _doubt_ that you are a pirate, but I will admit that to hear this strange confession so soon and without a struggle is making me curious. So, you will need to _enlighten _me," he mumbled as the key slid in and the lock came free, "_sir_."

It felt like an eternity before the door swung open just enough for Roxas to squeeze thorough. Of course the man wouldn't let it open further for Axel to fit. This world was filled with idiotic paranoid freaks. He stood before the open door and as he waited instructions he watched a little black spider crawling at his feet. Yes, he still smiled, but his eyes were so distant now.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked quietly to cover his shaking voice.

At once, the man grabbed the chains that bound Roxas' wrists together and hooked a chain extender to the center so that he could be dragged along where ever the man took him. At first Roxas swallowed and stared at the rusted chains with regret. Why, oh _why_ did he have to get into this mess? He shook his head on the thought and as the soldier tugged at the chain he held back a grimace and took a moment to look over his shoulder.

There was Axel, holding onto two iron bars as if his life depended on them and his eyes searched the ground for an answer. Whether Roxas would be able to tell Axel anything was uncertain. He wasn't even sure what the hell he _was_ doing. Yes, he was saving the real captain. But at what cost? At what _cost_? It was with that burning question that their eyes finally met and Roxas felt like melting into the floor.

_Roxas_, Axel mouthed.

_Don't say anything_, Roxas replied as he shook his head. As he drifted further away from the cell, he saw the captain leaning against the bars to get a better look. Seeing Axel moving farther and farther away was causing Roxas to forget that he was supposed to be a captain now. With Axel in the room, the boy felt secure, ironically. His chain rattled, his breathing hitched...and quickly Axel took notice...

"Now hold on."

Just as the redhead had said it, Roxas began to breathe again and the man leading him stopped.

"What's that?" the man asked gruffly.

"What're you gonna do with me?"

"Huh, you pirates are nothing but a lot of masochists, aren't you?"

Axel clicked his tongue and lazily let his right hand go limp through the bars. Roxas, with his back turned to the man, forced his expression to change from a snarky captain to a once again worried-out-of-his-skull-get-me-the-hell-out-of-here cabin boy. Dammit, this was _his_ plan _not_ Axel's! He knitted his eyebrows skeptically.

"Masochists? Are you saying that you'll torture him then?" Axel asked quite calmly.

"Honestly, _captain_, can't you keep your own men quiet? You think you can rule a _democracy_ on the open seas, ey? A joke! Nothing but a joke!" As the man chuckled to himself, Roxas felt the chains tighten while he was being tugged onward past the rows of jail cells. Funny. There were no skeletons and key-bearing dogs around like in the stories...

"Oy! I'm still over here!" Axel yelled. What in the _hell_ was he doing?! Roxas stamped his foot and spun around in frustration.

"Do you _want_ to get killed?!" he spat.

"Hey, that's enough now, come on. You dawdle and you'll be shot, both of you."

"Why aren't _I_ allowed to stay with the rest of the crew?" Axel whined, pressing his back up against the bars and arching it as if he were uncomfortable. "It doesn't sound fair."

"_Fair_?" Roxas hissed. Strangely, the existence of the other man in the room was gone to Roxas. In fact, the very environment in which the three stood was beginning to melt into oblivion. Was this what it felt like to be an angry captain? Axel's eyes sparkled as they opened, stared blankly at the ceiling and then drifted down the hall to stare at the blonde. Strange how he appeared lonely now—weak and _lonely_. It was with that stare that Roxas began to think that, possibly, Axel was feeling abandoned and insecure, as improbable as it seemed. Regardless, there was a certain gleam in Axel's green, _lethal _eyes that hinted something wrong...and Roxas didn't like it.

Not. One. Bit.

"Well, since you're so _keen_ on knowing..."

Suddenly, Roxas' eyes widened at the man's voice resounding in the room once more and his arms stiffened. Like backing out of a trance. He didn't turn back around to face his captor speaking to the two of them.

"Another one of the men will be here shortly to take _you_ to the execution platform as well. Now, would _that_ be fair?" With no reply from Axel—as he was still too busy looking at Roxas to pay attention to the death threat—the man cackled wholeheartedly and with one painful tug brought Roxas back into step behind him. Roxas' neck hurt from being forced forward, but he wouldn't complain.

He merely held back a whine, shut his eyes and smiled to his feet.

"Looks like I win, _Axel_."

It was time to escape.

xxXXxx

"Look here! Here I've got your _captain_!"

All eyes directed toward Roxas the second the soldier had announced their arrival. By all eyes Roxas meant _all eyes_—townspeople: men, women, children and even the roaming _chickens_ were glaring at him through wet and stabbing eyes. Well, this was a great warm welcome now wasn't it? All time froze as soon as the blonde had set foot into the light of a few torches left untouched by the damage of the fire.

The man had led Roxas through maze after maze after maze in the town, past charred buildings and dead bodies, past hordes of soldiers until suddenly the buildings appeared normal again. Axel should've known better than to invade a town so huge...

He nearly growled about it, but after being threatened with the backend of a rifle from a passing soldier, thought otherwise. This square was much cleaner than the first with stone buildings rather than wood ones surrounding a beautiful fountain with ivy climbing up the edges. Oddly enough, placed beside such a pretty fountain and inside such a pretty place...was yet another execution platform—complete with three stakes used for lovely killing methods such as stabbing, burning and the occasional suffocation. How pleasant.

This must've been the rich district, no doubt.

Once the two neared the stairs leading up to the stakes, Roxas spotted the crew—all of them lined up side by side to face the crowd as if to provoke self-humiliation. When he looked hard enough, he saw that only Demyx and the blonde female with the short hair were peeking at him—Demyx showing shock and the girl showing utter confusion. All their wrists were bound at their backs with rope and around their necks were thick ropes tied to resemble a noose.

"I figure having you disposed of first will be better suited for your crew," the man said as he spun around and directed Roxas toward the middle stake with a cock of his head. "You see him, pirates? Your _captain_ about to stare death in the face! Hah!"

He'd said it so loudly that the crowd began to clap and cheer. Some chanted words of death that Roxas couldn't understand while others booed and swore like a bunch of drunken sailors. As he was unchained and tied to the middle stake, Roxas spotted even members of his—or rather _Axel's_—crew turned around to watch with an array of emotions on their faces.

"_But he's not_—_!_"

"_Shh! They'll hear you_..."

"_It's a sacrifice we have to make_..."

Soldiers blocked the alleys that led into the square by the tens until there was no possible way for someone to enter or leave the scene. Some soldiers took to the rooftops with their long rifles drawn toward the sky.

Something about it all made Roxas laugh...

The blonde lowered his head to avoid getting caught chuckling to himself even though he was sure that the soldier tying him to the stake could hear him anyway. At once his left cheek fell numb and prickly as the soldier slapped his face with a firm hand. To his dismay, Roxas yelped and bit on his lower lip, causing the skin to break and a thin line of bright blood to trickle down the side of his chin.

Half the crowd laughed at the sight while the others merely gasped in sheer horror. Did that mean that some people here had sympathy for Roxas?

"Mm..." he mumbled in the back of his throat. Another blow came only this time in landed in the form of a fist into his stomach. Unable to move much more than his head, Roxas had to endure and his mouth hung open as the punching continued along with the cheering and the pain.

"This goes to show that all you pirates are nothing but talk! Complete _myth_ is what you are! Can you believe it? A pirate can bleed after all!"

Breathing heavily, Roxas slumped forward and felt the sweat rolling down his face. His vision was becoming blurred not only from the intense heat arising but also the loss of blood and absence of nourishment in his body. How long would he be able to keep this act up if all he looked like was a weak slave?

Oh well...being a captain had been fun while it lasted...

"I—" Roxas choked on blood and coughed before he could finish his sentence. The man took a step back and scoffed while the boy perished.

"You're all nothing but arrogant little _pests_."

"Huh. Pests...are we?" Roxas replied without looking up.

"But I do have to hand it to you, captain, for holding on for so long. It seems so long ago that we got word from Leon that you had attacked his town and set sail. And here you are."

Instantly, Roxas' world stopped on that single word. _Leon_? As in...Leon from _The Isles_? His _home_? This couldn't—it wasn't _possible_. Leon was dead! The townspeople were dead! Sora was _dead_! All of them, nothing was left! Roxas had been there when the damn town was set aflame! But here he was supposed to believe that it was nothing but an illusion? Was that what he was hearing from this man?

The blonde's head rose slowly and with his lips wet and parted he stared the solider straight in the eyes. In the man's hand was a pistol directed at his chest and when he looked around there were at least five men surrounding the platform with their rifles directed in the same way. He swallowed and curled his toes in his boots nervously.

"Death by shooting. Pray that the first strikes you in the heart that you might not feel the rest."

"Tell me," Roxas nearly shouted at the man, "are you saying that Leon's still alive?"

"_Still_ alive? I hardly think he concerns you any—"

"He does!" Roxas interrupted, trying to move his arms at the same time. "I mean...my crew made a move to end his life. He should be dead by now." He had to be sure not to give away his identity as the fake captain...all for the sake of Axel living, which was the hardest part to grasp.

The soldier tapped the trigger on the gun impatiently. "Oh did you now? Seems fate favors him over you, doesn't it?"

Roxas smirked in spite of himself. "So you say."

"How do you mean? You honestly feel fate is on _your_ side even as you stand under the eyes of six bullet ranges?"

"Hm. Yes. I do."

"And why is that?"

"...The odds of those bullets missing a major part of my body is rather high, _sir_. I have to be honest with you."

The soldier stood in silence with this pistol still raised. Suddenly the crowd and the crew watching followed his example. Roxas went on.

"Do you really put enough trust in the men that you have? Do you trust that every single one of them will direct a bullet at _me_? Do you trust that the bullet will fly in the correct manner, in the right place?"

"I have all faith in these men," the soldier replied defiantly.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Then we're one in the same, aren't we? You trust yours just as I do _mine_."

No response.

"See, maybe we're stupid men, hm? To be throwing trust around like gold? When you asked me in my cell if I were the captain, why didn't you bother to consider _him_?" 'Him' obviously pertaining to Axel...

Still no response.

"Did you trust me then, mate?" How awkward it felt to say that word. "Did you trust that he wasn't the captain instead, perhaps? And to have me here on this stake! I take it that you _trust _that I won't escape! Am I right to say that you trust me, sir?"

"What madness is this?"

"Hardly, sir," Roxas chuckled, gliding the tip of his tongue against the bloody cut on his lip. "You offend me in saying so."

"So now I offend _you_, is that it? Captain, I fail to see the similarities between you and I that could make us one in the same as you say. Unlike you, _I_ save my trust for those deserving of it, _not_ for someone I've just picked up from an uncharted island." The man chuckled and for a second lowered the silver pistol down to his waist. Roxas watched him, his entire body on the verge of snapping in two.

"What did you suppose you would _gain_ from stealing one, _one_ boy from Leon's town? Was it greediness that influenced you?"

Roxas didn't respond and instead lowered his eyes to the floor of the platform. Hearing the man's words made him think too much...about himself. So now he wondered _again_ what had exactly influenced Axel to take one body from Leon. What could he do to save his life? _How_ could he save a life? He realized that, at the moment, tied to this stake, he was indirectly saving Axel...but for how long, he didn't know.

"...Where is the boy?"

The blonde snapped out of this train of thought and looked off to his right, hoping that there would be a path out of this place. This was bad. He had to come up with another fib. Stall, stall...

"And if I told you?" he asked, smugly. That probably wasn't the brightest answer since the man just raised the pistol again and began to bare his teeth in anger.

"I've had enough," he spat. "If all you give me are games—_arms at the ready_!"

The five that had their rifles directed at Roxas responded loudly to the man and were accompanied by an uproar of cheers and incoherent blathering from the crowd. But, just as the bullets were loaded, the aims perfected and Roxas' heartbeat increased, the boy spotted in the corner of his eye a place in the crowd at his left that was beginning to part as if making way for someone. He followed the movement until the one making way showed their face.

While he couldn't see the face, hearing the excited voice of Demyx was all he needed to picture the person.

"Ah! Sir!"

"Sir?" Roxas whispered as he attempted to crane his neck to see over the waves of people. If Demyx gave away Axel's identity, this little plan would be all for nothing.

"_The other one, sir. Just as you asked._"

Without looking over his shoulder, the soldier facing Roxas smiled evilly and nodded his head in approval. "Perfect. Another witness. Tell me! Why is it your crew refers to _him_ as 'sir' and not you, captain?"

Roxas opened his mouth to speak, only to have a strange shaking moan escape instead. That obviously didn't work to his advantage since the man began to laugh and, for the hell of it, sent one bullet a mere nudge from Roxas' foot. Roxas' leg twitched when the bullet struck the floor and left a hole where it pierced the platform. He shook his head and, sweating _terribly_, looked up and began to laugh almost maniacally.

"Would you honestly shoot the _boy_ that you promised you'd return to Leon?! Are you about to _kill me_?!"

At once, the soldier's eyes dilated, his lips parted and with his free hand, signaled to the others to hold their fire. Immediately the rifles rose toward the sky and the men wielding them stepped back in shock. The crowd cut their rejoicing and rather than jumping and prattling amongst themselves as if they were at a festival, several began to look around in worry while the rest either began to scream or try and hide themselves behind crates and barrels.

"What?" the soldier asked, dumbfounded amongst the chaos taking place. Roxas panted and licked the blood away from his lip again before replying:

"I'm the prisoner you want."

The man shook his head and began to stare around him, disregarding Roxas' words. So maybe they weren't interested in Roxas being kidnapped at all? "Then where in the bloody _hell_ is the captain?! _Damn_!" Huh. Some welcome that turned out to be for Roxas. All but the crew was in frenzy—the members simply stood there looking up at the boy in what Roxas took as either respect or pity. It was difficult to tell...

But as far as he was concerned, they were safe for the time being...

...And then, oh, how the night became more satisfactory...

"_Excuse me, sir_..."

"Don't speak to_ me_! Go search for the da—!" Without completing his order, the man had just begun to turn around to face the owner of the voice only to be attacked from what Roxas could see. Instantly, the soldier hunched over his feet and his pistol fell from his grasp as he clutched at his stomach in agony. The blonde could see dark red staining the spotless floor and knew at once that this man had just been stabbed...and surely killed.

To support his theory, Roxas looked up, gasped and took notice of someone standing before the dying man with a bloody short-blade in his right hand. He nearly called out to the person—who was clad in the soldier's navy suit—but after spotting the absence of frilly lace and proper boots, Roxas knew that this was certainly not the official that been sent to take Axel from his cell.

"How I _love_ a good game of dress up." With that said the killer grabbed the hat atop his head and tossed it into the crowd of people who were stampeding over one another and begging for their lives. With the hat gone, Roxas breathed a sigh of relief...

Axel was alive.

Those familiar eyes first looked around the platform nonchalantly as if they were inspecting nothing but the tide rolling in and out. Then, they drifted toward Roxas' feet...and from there proceeded to climb the boy's legs and up, up, _up_ the boy's beat and bloody figure. Roxas shivered, the crew cackled though they were unaware of the stare, and finally Axel was looking right at him with his trademark smile and a cock of his head.

"Imagine all the fun we'd've missed if you hadn't skipped ashore..." Axel chuckled and bent over the edge of the platform so the tip of the blade could reach the rope that bound his crew members' wrists. In one slash, he cut free three, five, and finally the remaining captives...all but Roxas, that is.

"Ah-ha! I _knew_ you wouldn't fall back, cap'n!" Roxas heard Xigbar cackle.

"No one beats our captain!" The girl.

"No one puts 'im behind bars! Never!" Luxord, Demyx, Xaldin...

Axel crossed his arms and conceitedly smirked down at his crew praising him at his feet. What a bastard...and yet he was a hero in their eyes. At first he paused to let them finish chanting his name until finally, as his duty, he shot out the last order that this town would hear of:

"Burn it all."

"Burn it all!" they repeated. "Fire, fire!" they sang.

Amidst the confusion—the random gunshots, the crying and the strange combination of cold and warm air brushing past his body—Roxas felt alone. In reality, this was the moment he'd been waiting for since he'd left the cell. If he cut himself loose, he could escape...But to escape from this place could mean death. If he wouldn't be killed from one of the crew members, if not killed by Axel, then at least he'd be killed by the stampede.

But _despite_ all these thoughts of running away and death, Roxas couldn't help but keep his eyes glued to the back of the captain. Axel's head was tilted and turned in such a way that made the burning blaze before him seem beautiful. The destruction and screaming had vanished and were nothing but dust in Roxas' mind. Instead, he saw red, and instead he saw Axel's face.

Rather than fear, the boy felt _comfort_.

But he knew, deep down, while he did feel protected, that feeling was just a false sense of security. Axel was _not_ security. He was not there with open arms nor was he there for words of encouragement for the confused boy. No, no, Axel was just..._evil_.

While something horrible struck Roxas' chest on that thought, he tried to hold his breath to keep the rising smoke from suffocating him and turned his head every which way to look for an escape route. Dizzy and already near fainting, he blinked several times and even tried to weaken the rope that kept him tied to the stake by dragging it against the post. Grumbling to himself, he thought back to the gun that he'd used to try and shoot the cuffs clean off of his wrists back when he'd joined the crew. But would it work? And even if it would—

,But where to find a gun?

_Where to find a gun?_

All the while people were shouting: "Burn it all! Burn it all!"

Roxas knew he had to hurry...and then he spotted Axel again. Perhaps...it was worth a shot. Again, no pun intended.

Gathering what was left of his strength, Roxas cleared his throat and called out to the captain who was surveying the destruction with his back turned toward the three stakes.

"Sir! Sir!" he repeated over the flames. It took a while before finally Roxas got through to the thick headed captain and managed to get him to turn around. His eyes were narrowed as if before sleep and his arms were crossed over the navy uniform.

Roxas had to say that navy just wasn't Axel's color...not at all.

He shook his head and motioned for the captain to come closer by nudging his head. His bangs moved away from his eyes when he did and it seemed enough to get Axel to _walk_ toward him. He looked...content by the time he'd reached Roxas' stake, eying the boy's face with such deep interest that it made Roxas' skin tingle. The blonde's blue eyes scanned the captain briefly for any signs of a gun...

Axel cocked his head to the right and parted his lips in thought. "Yes?"

Roxas tried to go with the flow and furrowed his eyebrows. "Release me."

The redhead blinked slowly and with his eyes shut he turned his head up to the darkening, smoky sky. Roxas honestly thought he looked at peace that way. Strange. "Roxas, _Roxas_..." Axel muttered to the sky. Roxas' body fell limp against the stake.

"What'm I to do with _you_?" With that said, Axel once again lowered his eyes and brought one hand behind him. Roxas watched that movement closely until finally he spotted another of Axel's pistols being loosely held in the redhead's right hand. At first he was elated. He'd found a way to escape! But as the pistol rose and the end was aimed between Roxas' eyes, his breathing hitched and he began to rethink his plan.

He swallowed and tried his very best not to look at the gun, but rather into Axel's eyes. If he wanted to escape, he had to keep eye contact with him. Just a little closer and he'd be home free...

His lips curved slightly when the gun rose and Axel looked back down from the sky. "Kill me?"

"Don't think I won't do it."

"Your voice tells me you'd rather _not_."

"Now's not the time to be messing with me, Roxy." Axel chuckled to the side and with his thumb pulled down he trigger in the back of the gun to load a bullet. As expected, the boy twitched. How. Cute. _How. Cute. _With all this screaming and ruckus floating about them, Axel had quite forgotten what it was like to admire this little...prize, shall we say, of his. People always looked the best when they were confused or threatened.

Longing to see Roxas' reaction, Axel slowly moved the end of the gun closer to the boy's forehead until the tip was grazing the wet bangs hanging over his face. He dragged it to the left and pushed the golden locks away to reveal emptiness...and _determination_ in Roxas' eyes.

Oh, he was planning something, alright.

Then, as the flames surrounding the two began to lick and engulf the base of the platform, the captain, as wicked and impulsive as those flames, thrust his hand out, took a step forward and cupped the blonde's chin with his shooting hand. He'd dropped the gun and sent it sliding across the platform with his foot. Seeing Roxas' eyes flare and spark with that action made Axel smirk. He'd just diminished the boy's plot, hadn't he?

"Why should _I_..." he purred, his head lowering to the boy's height, "_trust_ _you_? After _that_ little fiasco back there after all..."

Roxas' sweat was beginning to drip in bullets down his cheeks and into the curves of his neck. With his shirt torn and left to expose a majority of his torso, he knew that running through the fire now would be fatal. He'd be burned, yes, and more than likely killed if he didn't leave soon. And, dammit all, Axel had to ruin his plan! Think fast, think fast...

But before he answered the question, Axel had ducked his head and brought his lips right beside Roxas' right ear. He shivered upon contact and was forced to listen with his eyes staring directly forward.

"You want to escape?" Axel whispered right into the boy's ear. Roxas didn't respond, and when he didn't Axel scoffed and gently brushed his lower lip against his jaw line. "You'll run to the shore where I found you before...understand?"

Roxas shut his eyes and with furrowed eyebrows nodded. All he could hear was the captain's voice...nothing more, nothing less. The feeling he had was not his. He felt controlled, overpowered, and more than anything he felt like a puppet on a thin string. Axel's voice came over him like smoke, like music, and upon entering his mind it rattled his thoughts and left his body completely inoperative...

"_Good_. From there, I'll find you again. And from there we'll find our way back to the ship. _You and me_?" The question was what forced Roxas' eyes open wide. While he couldn't yet understand what Axel was trying to say, he nodded anyway and soon found himself standing there in the middle of the fire, his wrists freed from the wooden stake. In the midst of Axel's whispering, he's somehow untied the knot that bound Roxas to the stake, and freed him.

"Go," the redhead ordered, flippantly turning his back on the boy as he put a hand on a sword belonging to one of the soldiers. "Ugh. These things are horrendous weapons, ey?"

"I—"

"Now, now. I'll find you. Honestly, Roxas, don't you ever listen to the captain anymore?"

"Captain..." the blonde muttered and once he had his head on straight, he looked up to see Axel running off down the stairs—cackling like the bastard he _knew_ he was.

"You make a fine captain, Roxas. But, I do have to be honest with you..." Axel withdrew the sword from its sheath and glanced over his shoulder to say, "..._You can never outrank me, mate_. Hmhm."

xxXXxx

"Another win for the captain, ey?"

"'Nother win for _us_, more like it."

"Haven't had an adventure li' _that _one since _I_ last joined this ship!"

"You says it right!"

Roxas was the last to board the ship that night, or rather early that morning once all the pillaging and such had ended. He'd successfully made way to the shore with little damage done to his body. Yes, he had a few scrapes and burns, but the pain was what he'd learned to adapt with already. Sadly enough...

He'd waited impatiently beside the tide, pacing and kicking sand into the air as he awaited the arrival of the captain as he'd been told to do. All the while the town had burned and he never saw a single person running out of the town for the shore. Either they were all stupid or they just lost their way.

Possibly an hour passed before the female member exited the smoke and right at her heels were half of the crew, covered in ashes from head to toe and smiling out of their wits. Each of them had a story to tell the other—how they'd killed one woman, how they'd stolen from one man...how _proud_ they felt for following such great orders.

He'd sat there, avoiding eye contact with the others to the best of his ability, before a familiar voice broke the chattering and nonsense behind him. He didn't look, barely moved a muscle as the crew praised and shouted the captain's name over and over and _over again_. Amazing how much they adored him...

He always thought crew members hated their leaders...

With a groan and with his ribs horribly bruised from all the recent activities, Roxas pulled himself up on the deck and propped himself up against the wooden edge. He laid his legs out before him and rolled his head back so that it was resting properly. Demyx and Luxord had gone on to light a few lanterns on deck seeing as a light fog was beginning to roll in over the desolate shore. He felt he should be helping, but seeing as he wasn't being scolded, stayed put at rest.

"Well, well. 'Bout time we had a little scare, ey?"

At first, the blonde peeked through his heavy eyes at the sound of Axel's voice and after spotting him standing atop a barrel of gunpowder in the center of the deck, he sat upright and paid close attention to the announcement being made.

Several of the members gave 'hear hear' as their reply while, as expected, Luxord and Xaldin kept to themselves. Axel cupped his chin as he looked down upon his men, basking in his glory yet again.

"Oh, so you _were_ scared?"

"No, never, sir!" the girl replied with a flick of her wrist. Roxas watched as she stretched her fingers out and coyly placed them upon the captain's left ankle. The redhead responded by looking down at her and raising an eyebrow.

"Really, Larxene?"

The blonde girl used her other hand to squeeze excess water from his hair as she chuckled to the side. "Not I."

A second passed before some of the men responded with the same words. Honestly, Roxas thought, were these men only interested in sucking up to people for a living? It was pitiful. He crossed his arms over his chest after he'd stood up from his spot. Somehow he felt a little left out of the circle of praise. After all, _he'd_ been the one who'd posed as the captain. He deserved some credit!

"Ah, but without me there you were all near giving up, huh?" Axel shook Larxene's hand away with his foot and afterward lowered his body so that he was sitting upon the barrel instead. The crew eyed his movement obediently and said nothing. Axel simply scoffed to himself and looked around at each of them as he laughed.

"Tell me!" he shouted. "Tell me I'm right, come on!"

No one responded. And as intimidated as Roxas was, he inched closer toward the scene until he was barely touching the light emitting from the lanterns hanging on the posts around Axel's body. Strange how Axel wasn't looking at him...

"Hah! How _pa-the-tic_ the lot of you are! Without your dear darling _captain_, where would you be!? I'll tell you where. You'd all be without work, without purpose and without the luxuries that being a pirate can bring you!" Where had this rant come from? Larxene stepped back as Axel got up from the barrel and kicked at it with his foot, causing it to fall on its side and roll away down the deck. Roxas watched Demyx stupidly avoid it before looking back to see Axel pacing around with his arms crossed.

He certainly was _not_ pleased.

"See, I gave _all of you_, huh..." He jutted one finger out and pointed at some of the members accusingly. "I gave all of you a chance to live again, and what do you do? _Betray_ _me_."

"Sir—" Xaldin muttered before in one swift movement Axel slapped him across the face. Roxas covered his mouth to avoid gasping.

"_Don't_ deny that, Xaldin."

"...Yes, sir," Xaldin replied and, ignoring the pain in his cheek, turned his head back to face his leader.

At once Axel pushed the other off to the side as if he didn't exist and went on pacing in the dimmed, orange light. He'd rid of the silly navy uniform and instead stood upon his ship with his usual attire—the black vest and all. Under the light Axel's body seemed brighter and the black on his body contrasted with the bit of the moon sinking below the horizon. Roxas found himself stepping closer into the light...and once he had, the captain's eyes shot forward and locked onto him like a predator.

As his body stiffened, Roxas held his breath and waited for Axel's next move...just waited.

"...Did you succumb to greed, Roxas?" the captain suddenly asked, stepping closer to the boy with one foot crossing over the other at a very slow pace. Roxas' eyes shifted around him at the staring crew and he suddenly felt very hot under the spotlight.

"I...don't believe so, sir."

"Mm. You mean to tell me that you didn't fight the _urge_ to come ashore?"

"Well, I—"

"And I can recall spe_cifically_ me telling you not to touch shore after Blue, hm?"

"You never gave me a reason not to!" Roxas retorted, stepping closer. He heard scattered gasps around him but disregarded the people anyway. This was between him and Axel now.

"Oh, no?"

"Not at all, _sir_! Not a damned thing!"

"You can't talk t—!"

"Keep out of the conversation, Luxord, _thank_ you," Axel angrily ordered to Luxord as he walked up behind the boy and nearly sent a slap to the back of his head. The man backed away in defeat and remained silent in the dark part of the deck.

Roxas and Axel were nearly two feet away from each other now, slowly circling around and around while the talking resumed. It seemed rather awkward for Roxas, to be arguing with someone with higher power than he would even hope to have, but if Axel was willing to touch Roxas and, yes, _fuck_ him, then he could damn good jolly well hold an argument!

"I apologized to you, didn't I?"

"Apologies are useless to a pirate, Roxas," Axel replied with a low voice, freezing in place in front of both Xaldin and Luxord—more than likely the two were his greatest asshole bodyguards on deck. Roxas stopped as well in front of Xigbar, the shooter, who had remained unusually silent since the escape from shore had begun. He expected him to be whooping and searching for rum by now...

Shaking his head, Roxas took a step closer once more. "Then tell me what _isn't_. And more importantly, tell me what I did from setting foot on shore. Tell me that!"

It was Axel's turn to shake his head. His eyes shut and his head lowered down toward the floor. At once the ship fell into silence with nothing but the sound of waves and the last bit of fire crackling in the distance to keep the crew awake. More waiting...more silence...when at last the silence was broken and Roxas felt something cold touch the front of his neck.

"What?" he asked in shock, grasping the arm that had suddenly wrapped around the front of his neck. He couldn't look down to see who had grabbed him from behind, seeing as what felt like a knife was being pressed close to his skin.

"Xigbar!" Roxas' shaking eyes looked across the deck at Axel, his fists clenched and his eyes burning as he eyed the man holding Roxas close. The blonde groaned and was immediately shut up once the tip of the blade cut into the side of his neck. "Drop the boy, Xigbar!"

"Hahaha! Tell me why I would, captain, sir. I think I need answers just like the little one here! Isn't that right, boys?"

"Hm?" Before Axel had the chance to order Xigbar around again, two clicks were heard, two more before both Xaldin and Luxord raised their pistols and shoved the ends directly into both of Axel's sides. At once, Roxas' heart near froze. Was he seeing this correctly? Both of them were being threatened...and Axel was being threatened by his best men. It wasn't adding up...It just wasn't adding up!

"I know what this boy is to you, sir. And, as far as I'm concerned, _he_ would be your weak point..."

...From there, the dagger drew blood.**  
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******to lose a best friend is a terrible feeling. time alone cannot heal the wounds that need to be mended. time alone cannot dry the tears that have been shed and time alone cannot undo the damage that has been done.**

******hugs, kisses and words of comfort _alone _are not enough to support the ones who are falling apart. there are certain things in this world that cannot be fixed on a whim, that cannot be rebuilt overnight. this feeling of betrayal is one of them. we've been left alone, expected to cope with these burdens and this loss...**

******no one knows when we will heal, and one person will never be able to come out of this alone. we need each other. we need our good health, our good minds and our hearts to guide one another. though the ones we love are gone, and what they've done is unforgiveable, we must look beyond the pain and remember: _we had the best._**

******our memories, our love and our laughter were what brought us together in the beginning. it sparked friendships, and created bonds which are irreplacable. i'd like to bring the love and laughter back...one step at a time. we can pull through this...i have all my faith in us all. -less than three-**

******about this chapter: glad you stuck by for the rocky ride! hope that the ending didn't, ya know, make you puke in your soup or something. :O uhm. that would be pretty darn creepy there, ey?**

******in other news: RE:COM IS BEING RELEASED ON THE SECOND OF DECEMBERRRRR. WANT WANT WANT! XD**

******_internet hugs would be manificent...  
kokoro77_  
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	11. Naughty

**Author's Note****: i'm...baaaaaaaaaack. xO**

**i've been working on and off of fanfiction writing for the past couple of weeks. mm. being a student is just...not so fun, you know? what, with this ELECTION (OBAMA) going on and stuff (OBAMA) it's pretty difficult to stay on track with (OBAMA) writing on a daily basis (OBAMA).**

**xO have i mentioned OBAMA? i'd write more about why i'm so thrilled by this news, but that would be more what livejournal is for. .-. there i go, hangin' upside down again...hangggggin' upside down.**

**so! here you go with chapter 11 of this pirate-y story of JOY. (boy, doesn't that word make you...i don't know, _cringe_ or something?) hope you enjoy! _naughty, naughty..._**

**also: this new layout that FF has is not magically delicious AT ALL. it's like if lucky charms didn't have the LUCKY...and the CHARMS. it's just...milk and cardboard tasting cereal pieces. yep. that would be what this new layout is like now: cardboard tasting cereal pieces. (stupid metaphor...)  


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Chapter 11: Naughty

Roxas had had _quite_ enough with the bleeding already, thank you very much. Not only that, but he was quite done with the violence and issues regarding _trust_ floating around where ever he went. It seemed impossible to trust someone now, impossible to accept someone for who they were. And it was _frustrating_. The life of a pirate was _frustrating_.

As he felt a warm liquid dripping down the front of his neck, Roxas held his breath and stared around him without moving his head. What in the bloody hell was the crew _doing_? If they weren't turning against the captain like these three, then shouldn't they be helping? What sort of a crew was this?

Roxas was panting by the time Axel cocked his head and stared forward at Xigbar, his look of concern for Roxas fading away from his face in an instant. Roxas nearly called out to that change of expression, but held his tongue thinking that if he _did_ he'd get cut off. Literally. Ouch.

"Mind tellin' me what this is all about?" Axel asked quietly. Even though his voice was near mute and completely composed, both Luxord and Xaldin pressed the tips of the guns deeper into his flesh thinking that, really, Axel was nervous. It was too late for Axel to pretend he was calm; he'd already demanded that Xigbar let Roxas go. That already showed the slightest hint of concern and anxiety in the captain.

Roxas heard Xigbar chuckle beside his right ear and he shut his eyes for a bit to try and ease his mind. So _this_ was what Xigbar meant by knives being the better weapon. More than likely the crew was seeing Roxas' true self under the blade, whereas if he were to be _shot_ dead, he wouldn't have the chance to show his true colors. For Xigbar, using knives must've been a source of pure entertainment...

"You know what this is about," the shooter replied in a gruff voice, giving Roxas a good shake afterward. "We're _tired_ of waitin', Axel."

The redhead scoffed to his feet. "For what? Your answers?"

"Damn right that's what! Been _years_, sir." Roxas felt Xigbar's head shake side to side and as it did, he took a step backward and dragged Roxas along with him. All the while, Axel watched without blinking, without speaking and without changing his expression. Dammit, did he care or not?

"I don't know what you're plannin' for us all, but you promised that soon as we got this _kid_...we'd be saved. Hm? Now what's happened? Care t' explain?"

Axel sighed and as he turned his head upward, Luxord's gun moved from his side up to the side of Axel's temple. Still, no one made a single move to stop him. Roxas felt like saying something! Anything! Just mere minutes ago these people were praising Axel like some _god_. Now, _now_ were they just defeating the purpose of praising? What pretenders!

"Nothin' worth explaining to you, Xigbar," Axel sighed into his hand which he'd cupped over his lips. "'Fraid you just weren't patient enough to find out yourself."

"Shame!" Xigbar yelled, nearly deafening the boy. "Shame. Here we are: your..._loyal_ crew, serving your every whim, calling your name and saving your _ass_...just to be left in the dark for so, so long. We've been stripped of our will here, mate! That ever leave a burden on you?"

Axel nearly responded but Xigbar, with the tip of the dagger still against Roxas' bleeding neck, interrupted with a loud laugh.

"Hah! Of _course_ not! You're the _embodiment_ of greed, captain! Nothin' for ya t' feel sorry for!"

Roxas was surprised to see Axel _nod_ at that statement. What did he mean by "embodiment of greed"? It seemed that he, too, had questions for Axel. He swallowed and his skin stung terribly as the salty, cold water rushed past his newly cut wound. Xigbar probably felt Roxas cringe at the pain and tightened his arm around the boy's neck for good measure.

"Don't go fainting on me _now_, boy. You're the only reason the captain lives to see another day. Hm. Without _you_, where would our _dear captain..._be?" No one responded to that question, but the answer seemed obvious. Without Roxas, according to Xigbar, Axel would be a useless captain, a useless human being. But...that didn't make sense. How would Xigbar know about this relationship between the two? And even if he did suspect or know about their relationship, did he believe it?

"Marly," Xigbar called over his shoulder. Roxas heard footsteps drawing nearer and guessed them to belong to this 'Marly' character. "You take the wheel. We'll sail 'er out far as we can get 'er before the sun comes up."

"_Gladly_," the other replied and soon Roxas saw another crew member—one with light _pink_ hair out of all things—brush past him and up the stairs toward the wheel. So now there were _four_ people against the captain...

"Captain goes below deck. He'll be stayin' there till we find a good spot out at sea."

"And Roxas?" Axel had asked nonchalantly. Huh. As if they were checking into an inn, it seemed...

Both Roxas and Xigbar lifted their heads and looked straight at Axel who now had two guns pointing at his head as he stared _directly_ into Roxas' quivering eyes. Xigbar scoffed and lowered the blade until it was resting at Roxas' side. Still, best not to take any chances, so he remained still.

"...He'll be with me."

And so the sail went, out into the thick fog descending upon the sea.

xxXXxx

Roxas couldn't tell the time of day. The fog had thickened and by now he was sure the ship had ventured so deep into it that it was impossible to see clearly. How anyone could steer the ship through this was a mystery to Roxas, but he kept his questions to himself and grew ever-curiouser and curiouser by the second.

Under Xigbar's watchful eye, Roxas couldn't move, barely breathe even. He thought for sure that Xigbar would release him from his hold and, he didn't know...tie him to the _mast_ or something of the sort, but no. For whatever reason, Xigbar remained standing the entire ship ride with Roxas held in one arm and his dagger lowered at his side. In such a fog, these pirates seemed to become calm and oblivious to the outside world. The crew had silenced and all around the deck the members sat—quietly and dejectedly against the canons and crates their captain once stood upon.

Seeing them all separated and unmoving was ghostly and made Roxas' nerves tremble. But he couldn't shake otherwise he'd have another cut to remember this trip by. How wonderful.

Suddenly, out of the silence, Roxas heard a scoff and his eyes looked over to his right. The shooter was staring out at the dark patches of land in the distance; distorted blobs hidden in the fog that seemed to take his interest.

"You didn't think you could hide forever, did you?" Xigbar asked. Roxas just kept to himself, unsure of what was being asked.

"I don't get it," Xigbar mumbled, using the tip of the dagger to scratch his cheek as he said it. "What is it 'bout you that the cap'n likes so much? Never took so much interest in the lot-a us."

"I-I don't know what you're—"

But Roxas couldn't finish that question since Xigbar brought the dagger back to his face. He didn't touch him to instill fear, but rather kept the blade close enough to the untouched, trembling flesh so that Roxas would understand_ authority_.

"Lies, lies, all of it," Xigbar sighed, turning to look out at the horizon again. "Ah! Maybe _that's_ why he likes you, ey? You're both liars! Hah!" Roxas couldn't help but wonder about _where_ he was getting all this information from. Had he been hiding in the walls all this time? Scribbling theories in journals, in pieces of wood? Where had he gotten the time?

With so much confusion running through his mind, shutting his eyes and not speaking were _not_ what Roxas needed. In fact, on top of the pain of loss and mutiny at hand, all Roxas needed to do was _speak_, but he was being stripped of that privilege. So, more pain and stress were gradually being added. But even if he could speak, who would listen? And even if he could fix what had been done to eliminate his pain—no. No, that wasn't possible.

To fix anything wrong was impossible.

"_Ah_. I see tears in those eyes, boy."

Roxas blinked and after gasping he immediately looked the other direction to avoid eye contact. But, sure enough, Xigbar wanted to see this pain etched upon his captive's face and used his other hand to grab Roxas' chin and force him to face back. He cackled to himself as one tiny tear dotted one of the boy's eyelashes.

Xigbar had been leaned up against a stack of barrels nearest the captain's quarters so that he could keep a close eye on the door to the brig as well. Something about his behavior was making Roxas think that he just wanted the position of captain for one night. Then again, after one night, what would happen? Surely Xigbar was hoping for a longer term than one night...which meant...

"You worried 'bout your captain, boy?"

Roxas felt the question against his right cheek and try as he might to look away, Xigbar still had his chin cupped, preventing him from ignoring the question. Don't speak, don't speak...

"Don't play _stupid_ with me! I know worry when I sees it!"

"I'm not worried about him!" Roxas retorted, furrowing his brows and raising his voice so much that he could hear it echoing in the distance. Bad move, Roxas. _Bad_ move. With the strange inclination in his voice, the crew members snapped out of their trances and turned their heads toward the captain's quarters. Panting, the boy stared at each of them, studying their faces for any sign of concern.

Would they even _bother_ to help Axel?

Xigbar grunted as Roxas angrily twitched his body with his reply and, smirking to himself, he lowered the dagger and pressed the tip deep into Roxas' right side, earning a muffled yelp in return. Roxas' legs kicked and his fingers clawed into the shooter's arm as the dagger remained stuck in his flesh.

"A-ah..." the boy whined with tightly shut eyes.

At last, Xigbar yanked the dagger out and forcefully tossed Roxas onto the floor for him to bleed like he deserved.

"I'd _kill_ you now if I could," he grunted, crossing his arms as he began to circle the boy's curled up body like a vulture.

The blonde refused to reply and using one hand pressed hard against the open wound to ease the bleeding.

"You know what's wrong with you?" Xigbar spat. "You _care_ too much, mate! You care too much!"

Still, Roxas kept to himself.

"I'd kill you now, I _swear_—you know I'd kill you now."

"Xigbar!"

Xigbar snapped out of his strange mood and looked over his shoulder to respond to the voice. "Luxord."

As heavy, quickening footsteps drew closer to where Roxas had been lying down, the boy opened his eyes and stared off to the side as he listened to the conversation going on at his back. He couldn't turn around—his wound prevented that. He always knew that without Axel nearby he'd be all too vulnerable...which was, honestly, very depressing. He coughed and tried to ignore the pain and thoughts of Axel by biting his lower lip.

"He's gone."

There was a short pause before Xigbar replied, "_Gone?_"

"Left the cell, he has. Can't figure out where he's gone to."

Roxas heard Xigbar curse quietly to himself with that news. Obviously they were discussing Axel...and his escape, was it? Wait. Roxas' eyes flashed and his body fell numb with anxiety as he thought about Axel escaping. If what Luxord had said was true, then Axel could be _anywhere_. Was he still down below in hiding? Or maybe he'd left the ship already and abandoned the crew for his own damn benefit. Either sounded like an Axel thing to do. He had a habit of scaring the wits out of people.

But, then again, Roxas knew the captain all too well. Sort of. Ok, not so much. But he knew Axel well enough to know that he was _devoted_ to this ship. To have it so well taken care of didn't mean he just liked assigning orders, no, it meant he cherished this girl more than his _life_. Now Roxas just felt horrible that he had to be crumpled up on the floor, unable to do a _thing_.

Damn.

"We can't lose 'im. Where's Xaldin?"

"Down in the brig. He's looked everywhere." This had to be the first instance in which Roxas heard Luxord's voice so frantic. So maybe the captain was the epitome of _fear_ for this crew aside from being their idol. If _Luxord_ was afraid of not knowing where the captain was, then Roxas knew that Axel had been right—without him, the crew would fall apart.

This captain was _surely_ a maniac then.

"You get down there are search with him!" Xigbar barked and immediately Luxord wandered off again down to the brig as order. "_Damn_. C'mere, _boy_."

"W-what?" Roxas stammered as he felt the front of his shirt being tugged on and his body being lifted up from the cold ground. His wound stung as Xigbar literally dragged him over to the captain's door and slammed his body against it with two hands. Roxas cringed and stared down with narrowed eyes at Xigbar's penetrating stare.

"You know where he is. _Where is he?_"

Roxas was already gasping for air and couldn't respond. That didn't work much to his advantage since Xigbar just shook him when he didn't say anything.

"Don't be pinning these lies on me again, boy!"

"I—I don't—"

"You wanna go see 'im? Hm?"

No response. Cough, cough, _wheeze_

"Oh, you'll be seein' 'im. After I _cut_ off your air supply, oh, you'll _scream_! He'll hear you, he'll come out of hiding and then you'll _both_ be killed. You'll go together, hm? _How's that sound!?_"

The world was falling into black. Roxas could barely pay attention to the death threat. He had to _survive_. There were too many things to do, too many things to live for still. _Sora was alive_. He'd heard it, he'd heard it! It had to be true...all of it had to be true. He had to find Sora, find Sora and go back to the way things were. He was tired of these games, tired of this wild, wicked fantasy of pirates coming to life. Pirates were nothing but _myth_, they had to be. Close your eyes, Roxas. This isn't real...nothing you see here is _real_.

"_Scream_," Xigbar whispered as Roxas shut his eyes. He didn't want to look at the dagger stabbing into his heart or wherever the bloody hell Xigbar wanted it to go. With guns, the bullets could travel anywhere, but with daggers the hit was always direct. Apparently, that was the fun of playing with daggers...but, strangely, Roxas didn't feel the pain. But, judging by the scream and the loosening of the grip on his body, Roxas figured that it was Xigbar who was feeling the pain instead.

Confused and panting, he dropped like a dead weight onto the floor and frantically gazed up to see Xigbar hunched over and holding his back in pain.

"Son of—" he grumbled.

"_Come on, come on_."

"A—" Roxas didn't complete his sentence as he reached out for a familiar hand coming towards him in the fog. He blinked to try and concentrate, but each time he tried to grasp the fingers they just moved the other way. In the end, the hand came to him and at once he was on his feet, being pushed at and commanded to run as best he could.

"_GO!_" He'd been told, and he tried, he really did, but—

"_Roxas, go!_"

"Don't sit around there! Go!" Xigbar had more than likely ordered the crew to chase after him, and as soon as he did Roxas only heard a few people stand up around him on deck. The others were probably hesitant to follow orders from a person who wasn't _their captain_. Knowing that, Roxas ran on until he felt the railing touch his body. He'd reached the backend of the ship now...so what was he expected to _do_?

"_I've got you_."

"Axel, where is he? How'd you get out?" he asked, short of breath. Shaking horribly, he stretched a hand out and clung onto what felt like Axel's arm for balance. His body felt wet and he reeked of salt water. Most likely he'd been in the ocean. Try as he might, Roxas couldn't see the captain's face clear enough to ask him directly. "Axel!" he repeated.

At once he felt a hand hold his left shoulder in a protective manner, probably Axel's way of saying he was there without words. Roxas looked up at where he suspected the captain's face to be and shook his head.

"We—"

"_Captain!_"

"Axel, he—!"

There was a quick sound of metal against metal right beside Roxas' ear that made him stiffen in fear. Unable to move, he kept stuck onto Axel's moving body like a lost child, which, in reality, he sort of _was_. He couldn't warn the captain quick enough, he couldn't _save_ Axel with his life...all he was was a burden for the captain to carry, wasn't he? What was he thinking? He couldn't save Axel at all...

His thoughts were suddenly cut short as Roxas felt his heel dangling in mid air and he nearly lost his balance. Dammit, they were close to falling overboard, he could feel it. If this little fight between Xigbar and Axel went on—

But just as soon as Roxas thought about falling, the sound of clashing metal ended and soon all he could feel was air rushing right past him on all sides. He couldn't tell where he was falling. Was he falling up? Down? Where was he going with this fall? Live? Would he live? He didn't know, but as soon as he hit the water and began to sink down, down, he heard another crash beside him and figured that if he should die, at least Axel would do the same.

_A pirate doesn't ask to be alone..._

xxXXxx

"_Roxas. Come on. Get up, Roxas. Up._"

"Ah..."

"_There_ we go, come on."

As his eyes fluttered open, Roxas groaned and blankly eyed the sky above him like a baby opening its eyes for the first time. The colors before him were deep and mixed together like paints splattered upon a canvas—purple and dark pinks tainted the world above him as the thin layer of fog lingered in between. But he could _see_ the colors at least...and the fog was not longer blinding him.

He was...alive?

Roxas looked away from the sky and turned to the right to see Axel's face staring down at him. He appeared dark because of the shadow of a tree cast down on him and Roxas squinted to try and see him better.

"Sir," he mumbled, surprised how normal that word felt now on his tongue. Axel didn't respond right away and loosely took Roxas' right hand in his.

"Can you sit up?"

Roxas hesitated for a moment but slowly and surely sat upright as the memory of the incident on the ship came back to him. Right...this pain on his side, this stinging on his neck...

He held his head with his free hand and began to go over the happenings in silence.

"...Roxas."

"Where are we?" he asked, abruptly turning his head toward the captain. "Where...are we?" he asked in a calmer voice than before. Axel's eyes shut and when he opened them again, the response came back as:

"I don't know."

Roxas' body shook hearing that as if it were some strange mantra slipping off the captain's tongue. That...didn't sound right. Axel didn't _know_? How couldn't he know? He looked past Axel and spotted palm trees and mossy rocks behind him. He turned to the left and saw that the waves were inches away from touching him and the footprints that Axel had left to travel up shore were slowly being washed away. He looked back to the captain and saw that he was panting.

"...Where's the ship?"

At that, Axel released Roxas' hand and propped his head in his hand as he stared out at the purple horizon with unblinking eyes. "I don't know," he replied with a sigh.

"Y-you didn't _see_ them? The crew?"

Axel shook his head and used his free hand to doodle nonsense in the packed sand. "Not at all."

"I—"

"They're _all_ gone, Roxas," Axel interrupted to which the blonde twitched. "The ship _and_ the crew are gone. Can't figure _where_...but they're _some_where if that helps at all." He ran a finger right through the doodles in the sand and chuckled once. "No. I suppose it doesn't help at all, does it?"

"Sir..." Roxas watched Axel's long fingers draw in the sand random shapes and curves lines. What was going through his head, he wondered. Sometimes he really just wanted to know...again, he wanted to know something that only _Axel_ could answer. He'd been held in the dark for so long about one too many things. And now, abandoned and bleeding on this...island, he supposed, he had the chance to ask.

But before that, he straightened himself up the best he could and stared around him for something to use as a bandage of a sort. When he came up empty, Roxas turned to his sleeves and, sighing, tugged hard on the right one until he heard a ripping noise as the seam tore apart. This caught the redhead's attention and made him stop doodling in the sand.

"Hm?" he asked, watching Roxas rip the sleeve clean off of his arm. Curious, he leaned in closer and as he did, the bit of bright orange in the morning sky hit his face and revealed to Roxas a bright red, bleeding cut on his right cheek.

He stopped working on the sleeve to stare at Axel. "You're cut."

The redhead blinked and impassively brought two fingers to the wound and traced it lightly with the tips. He stared at the blood on his hand afterward and rubbed his fingers together in thought.

"Strange...didn't feel that one. Felt this one, though." To Roxas' shock, Axel lifted his right wrist and showed the boy a gaping wound that left him wondering how the captain had managed to move his hand at all. Roxas reacted immediately and took the sleeve he'd been working on to work on Axel's wound instead. The redhead moved back, surprised, and smirked down at the boy.

"Your own sleeve, hm?"

Roxas, using his teeth to rip the fabric into long strips, ignored Axel and went on working. With each strip done, he placed them tightly around the captain's wrist to stop the blood flow until at last the entire wound was covered. Axel examined the work curiously, touching the fabric with his other hand as if it were a prized possession. He looked back at Roxas in awe and was confused to see the blonde ripping his other sleeve.

"The other one too?" he asked, raising his voice.

"Yes," Roxas replied stubbornly and yanked the sleeve off just as he'd done with the first. "Didn't you ever learn about patching wounds? You command a crew, don't you?"

Axel scoffed at that. "Hm. _Used to_. Had a crew once, you know." He'd said it as if he'd just met Roxas and was telling him a nice story. Something was seriously wrong with Axel's mood. Was he happy about this happening? Frustrated, Roxas ripped another strip out of his sleeve and once he turned around, the redhead had reached out his hand so that he could tilt the boy's head up and examine the cut on his neck.

"This one's not too bad," he said surely. Roxas shook his hand away and, after rolling his eyes, grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted the fabric away so that he could see the stab wound above his hip. He winced and hissed through his teeth as his muscles stretched around the wound. Axel's eyes widened when he saw the injury.

"When'd you get that one?" he asked as if inquiring about a tattoo or something of the sort.

"I talked back to Xigbar," he replied. "Didn't like that, so he stabbed me."

"Did he now? Ah, that one sleeve won't cut it, Roxas."

Roxas paused and stared at Axel like he was a madman. "What?"

Axel cupped his chin and after a little moment of thought, reached out and held Roxas' shirt up. Roxas twitched and felt his face heating up slightly from being touched.

"You'll need the en_tire_ shirt. We'll have to wrap it up 'round the torso, hm? Here, lift up your arms, come on."

"Axel, but—"

"Shh!" The redhead looked Roxas right in the eye and shook his head. "You give me a shot at fixing something, mate. Think I can't patch up a little wound like this one?"

_No_. Not really, no. But, as doubtful as he was, Roxas raised his arms and off came the shirt as Axel wanted. With it off, the cold air hit his skin and caused goosebumps to trail his body. He twitched and as he shivered Axel got to work with tearing the shirt into wider pieces for the boy. Hm. What was he going to do with this Roxas character of his? Not only did he not know what the boy wanted, but he also didn't know what would _become_ of Roxas in the future.

Minutes, possibly an hour passed until finally Axel tied off the bandage around Roxas' lower torso with a conceited smirk on his face. "More than just a pretty face, ey, Roxas?"

The blonde shook his head and for a while the two were sitting in absolute silence...but—

"So you are," he said with a low voice. One of Axel's eyebrows rose at that statement.

"By that you mean...?"

From there Roxas' bright eyes turned from his lap to Axel's face with a look mixed with anger and hurt. Seeing the boy that way caused Axel's insides to turn...and he _knew_ that he shouldn't play coy. Roxas was the first person to infuse that feeling inside the redhead...

Roxas' lips parted and quietly he replied, "If you're more than I know," he began, "then I want you to tell me what _exactly_ that would be."

Axel stayed silent, touching the makeshift bandage on his wrist as he listened.

"Tell me. Who are you?"

"And...by _that_ you mean...?"

"Don't mess around like that, Axel," Roxas complained, turning his body around so that he was directly facing Axel. The redhead leaned back on both arms while staring at the boy sitting before him in wonder. Should he answer that honestly? Should he answer it the witty way and say that he was just a pirate? Or should he perhaps answer with a lie? Either way, Axel knew that Roxas would react negatively, which was difficult to grasp.

Then again, Roxas' reaction would be _oh so interesting_, wouldn't it? Tempted to see it, Axel licked his lower lip in thought before smiling in spite of himself.

"Mm...I wonder."

Roxas sat quietly. He wasn't going to speak. He just wanted to listen. That's all. Drop the authority. He and Axel were on the same ground here—neither was higher up in ranks than the other. Axel may be the captain, but at the moment Roxas believed that they should treat each other as equals.

Minutes later, Axel shut his eyes and seemed to recall something he hadn't thought about in a long time. "...Would you believe me if I told you that I was just like you, Roxas?"

The blonde cocked his head skeptically.

"Only...I may have been a little more..._on edge_ than you. See, I was _always_ looking for a good time, Roxas. The town I lived in, hm, it was like a maze, it was. Every twist and turn had an adventure just waitin' for me and even if I came to a dead end there was still fun to be had." As he talked, Axel's fingers tapped the sand. His eyes were still closed in thought and, for once, Roxas saw a sincere smile on the captain's face.

"Grew up without a mother, you know. She'd been shot." The redhead, using two fingers, pointed to his left temple and pulled the invisible trigger with his thumb. "_Right_ in the head. Hm. Now, the old _man_, on the other hand—he'd drowned not to long after her death. So, naturally," he paused to open his eyes and lean forward again before saying:

"I was a naughty boy..."

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**xO WHAT? AXEL. CONTINUE? CONTINUE?? HELLO?  
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**...damn. i really wanted to post the rest of his epic tale of the briney deep, but i felt that i had to stop this chapter at some point. if i continued, it would take up an extra 10 pages, no doubt. Dx noes. if this chapter felt a tad short to you, trust me. it felt strange to me, too...i'm trying! IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS, DAMMIT.  
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**well, let me end by saying thank you to all of you who have given your words of comfort in your reviews to my last update. -less than 3- i feel better now, but it's just the memories that hurt now, if that makes sense. i'm...in the healing process, but eventually i, and the rest of my friends will be able to overcome this life hurdle. so please bear with me! xO don't think that i'm abandoning! (ugh, such BLASPHEMY.)**

**i've just decided that i'm going to take it easy. elections are over, tensions are lessening and i have cinnamon pumpkin bread. ah. the taste of fall...and yet daylight savings time has to go and SHIT ALL OVER THAT. MMM.**

**as for where axel and roxas are: ...hint, it's surrounded by WATER. -shot-  
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**_S.U.S.P.E.N.S.E: my anti drug xD,  
kokoro77_  
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	12. Once Upon a Time

**Author's Note: this is so pathetic, you guys. uhm, uhm, uhm OK. so, do ya remember a couple years back when i went on this totally awesome yet annoying trip to asia?? and i was kinda sorta on hiatus on all my on-going stories? and yet i still managed to upload chapters in week intervals?? remember that?**

**well, ah, 'kay, so, _i'm in asia right now...i've been here for the past three weeks...and GOD I'M LEAVING TOMORROW. WHAT THE FUCK!? _DX**

**i've been getting on the internet even LESS than the last time i was here, at which time i was only able to get on the internet, oh, every other day or so, but NOW i can only get on at least every week! WEEK. DO YOU--DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY I'M GOING CRAZY? this girl _runs_ on internet connection, OK? -dies inside-**

**...ok. deep breath time. ...now, in my absense, i've been working as best i can on this story in particular, mostly because it's the only one that easiest to work with. i have a strange mind. and, ah, interesting factoid: as i was typing this chapter up, there was, like, a HORDE of ants crawling over my screen and i flipped out and took a phonebook and smashed 'em all. DX then there were some that crawled out of NOWHERE on my laptop and on my fingers, so i had to smash my laptop to the point where i thought it would break in half. ...anyway! enough of ants! i think they're all dead now...AH.  
**

**time to get back to the bedtime story! OMGHAPPYNEWYEARANDCHRISTMAS!**

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Chapter 12: Once Upon a Time

"Naughty?" Roxas asked as if he'd just heard the word for the first time in his life. Well, coming from Axel the word wasn't all too surprising—the bastard was egotistical, so negative words always sounded _fantastic _when he used them to talk about himself. No, it wasn't the _word _that confused Roxas, but the way he'd _said_ it...but he'd save that thought for another day. In the meantime, Roxas tried to envision a younger version of the captain—with shorter hair, perhaps. Maybe his face was rounder or his eyes were bigger. He figured the image would help him see this story better.

Axel, who had since leaned back, continued his story with his fingers intertwined in his lap. "See, as a child without parents I lived without discipline for most of my life. I was free to do what ever I _pleased_. Ah, now, when _they_ came ashore...I became a new person."

"They?" Roxas asked, leaning in closer.

The redhead scoffed at the blonde's sudden interest and after he'd moved his lips closer to Roxas's ear he carefully replied:

"_Pirates._" And with that word Roxas shivered as if he'd never heard_ that_ before.

"They went ashore one night I happened to be out late strolling around town." Axel leaned away from the boy and stared out at the pink tinted water which was ebbing and sparkling before sunrise. "Killed anything that moved, they did. The women, kids—all of 'em. But there was something they _didn't_ do that _I_ always thought a pirate did during pillage, you know. They hadn't...stolen anything. Left all the guns in the storage, all the expensive whatnot here and there.

So I thought it would be a smart idea to hide where they weren't looking—storage places that _clearly _weren't worth their time. See, _that's_ where I was wrong. Pirates always do the unexpected, you should know. They set the town on fire, Roxas! All of it!" Axel clapped his hands and upon separating them he clenched them into fists.

"So there was _nowhere_ to hide, you see. And in the end, those pirates found me."

"What'd they do?" the blonde asked, lowering his head.

"You'd think they'd kill me. But, see, it was their _captain_ that found me, so he had the say in what would happen. 'Course, not many people aside from the officials in town carried weapons with them, so seeing that _I_—a _boy_—had a gun strapped to my waist caught his attention...He ordered I be brought on board."

The story sounded all too familiar to Roxas...strangely enough. He briefly glanced at the disturbed sand where Axel had drawn nonsense earlier.

"Next thing I know I'm being dragged _away_ from this town by two of the captain's men. I don't know what they're planning, don't know what in the bloody hell these men even _are_, and finally they toss me onto that ship like I'm nothing but cargo. Hm. You know, looking out at that town _burnin'_ up like that, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that everyone I'd known had died.

And yet I kept a straight face, Roxas. And I had a _gun_. For whatever reason that interested the ship's captain. Me! Hah! Just a boy unfit for pirate duties—it's what I was. But you know what the captain says to me? Know what he says? He stares at me _straight_ in the eye while I'm being held by the arms by his two men, smiles at me this _wicked_ smile and tells me I _fascinate him_."

Roxas's eyebrow rose at that and nervously he fiddled with the makeshift bandage around his torso. No, no, this story was _too_ familiar. And yet, Axel didn't seem to see that. As soon as he'd mentioned the captain's eyes, Axel fixed his gaze directly into Roxas's baby blues, leaving the boy in a state of hypnosis. With that, Roxas couldn't turn away.

"...So I was forced to join this crew. Cap'n never said why—just said that I _fascinated him_, hm? You wonder what he meant?"

Roxas shook his head slowly to which Axel scoffed.

"Time passed and I was kept in the brig." Axel's face seemed to grimace thinking about that and, in truth, it amused Roxas, but he had to hold back his smile. "I was maybe a little older than _you_ when I was made part of the crew. I was already feeling older than I should've been. _Every day_ he had me doing something on deck—swabbing, test shooting, patching and all that. And at the end of the day, if I was _lucky_...he just left me t' sit in the dark of that old cell for some personal time. Hah! But you know...the day came when I finally saw _light_. See..."

"Hm?" Roxas asked, his eyes bright and wide.

The captain turned his head up toward the sky, smirked and as he shook his head his voice lowered to say:

"He made me in charge of the crew. Not captain," he added quickly, "but the one in charge of overseeing 'em. Literally his right hand man."

The blonde's face fell blank at that. "But...why?" Hell, if _Axel_ was given a position of authority for just _tidying_ then Roxas should've been granted the same a long time ago! Axel had even said so himself! Roxas made a _good captain!_ Imagine that.

Axel chuckled and replied, "Apparently the simple act of me brandishing a weapon gave me authority. For some reason I was seen as..." He lifted two fingers and made quotation marks in the air before adding, "Bossy."

"You're saying he used you?"

Axel paused, knitting his eyebrows as he pondered the question, and nibbled on his lower lip before replying. "That's a terrible word, Roxas," he muttered sincerely. "But, I won't deny that it's true nor will I deny that I enjoyed it. But isn't that what _power _does to people? Hm? Isn't that _secretly_...what everyone wants? A little _game_, a little _control_." He locked eyes with Roxas again as he asked the questions with a lowering tone of voice.

"I didn't care that he _used me_ to do his dirty work. In fact, hm...I didn't much care about what the captain wanted anymore. Roxas. Listen." Axel's voice had become so hushed that Roxas had to lean in closer to hear. When he could feel the redhead breathing down his neck Roxas took in a deep breath and awaited the rest of the story.

"...He made a mistake. _I_ made a mistake. See, him accepting me was like...putting his crew in danger, if you will. You're abso_lutely_ right about him using me, you know. What he does, Roxas, is finds what turns you _on_. He finds what makes your pulse race, your eyes burn...and once he's found it he uses it _against you_. What he found in me was that I liked _control_. I loved control a bit too much...and that was all he needed to destroy me."

"As in _kill_ you? L-like—you're one of those undead?"

Axel quickly shook his head. "No, no, I'm not _undead_, idiot."

Roxas bit his tongue at that. Embarrassing...

Axel rolled his eyes and continued. "I'd never learned much about him, and in the end I misjudged him. My obsession with power, my obsession with myself...both fueled me and eventually cursed me. You remember when I asked you about jealousy, Roxas?"

The blonde nodded and afterward cringed as the wound at his side stung. He managed to keep his face straight, knowing that if he'd show pain Axel would stop talking and start ripping up clothes again.

"That's just it. I was being consumed by _greediness_, and pretty soon I'd lost myself. You would've thought a pirate to love greed and selfishness. You would've thought this captain would_ accept_ me. Hm. No, no, this was all part of his little _game_. He confronted me one night and scolded me for being _that _kind of overseer: the kind that pushed boys to the limit and sometimes killed them for good show. And d'you know what he did then?"

Again, the blonde shook his head.

"...He told me that if I wanted power so much..._he'd make me captain._ I'd get his ship! What wasn't there to like 'bout that? But he tricked me! Cursed me! Said that because of my _sin_ I would have to remain _this ships' captain_...until death. He made sure that I couldn't care for anyone else but myself, so I'd lost all of my feelings...happiness, excitement, contentment...Now all I have left is the bitter sting of greed, and you can't expect that to replace the happiness I used to have. Unless I can take a soul from land, a _single soul _from land, and somehow keep him alive and keep him free of _selfishness_, I'll be free again. If I could somehow change _one_ person, I'd be free. Redemption. A soul to save my own.

...Ever since then I've been trying to find that one person. _The one to save me_. Hm. But I expected too much out of people. All the ones I brought aboard my ship failed within the first week. All those members of my crew? They're all _failures._ They're all people I tried to help in the past. And not one of them—_not one_—turned greed away. They just took greed by the hand, stared it in the eye, loved it, held it—all the damn bloody things in the _world_ they gave to greed!

Xigbar stole items from the ship. Luxord and Demyx both abandoned ship and touched land. _Larxene_ did the same—that is she abandoned us—and slept with a man in the city. Couldn't find 'er for three days. The rest either tried to steal my position away from me or merely abandoned ship. Doesn't matter what they do...it's greediness, selfishness either way. And no matter where that greed takes them, they always come back to me, hoping for another chance. But...they've already cursed themselves, so they've got to share the burden with me. Hm."

Roxas brought a hand to his head and slowly raked three fingers through his hair in thought. If what Axel was saying was true, then that meant...truly he wasn't a _captain_, but a prisoner. As the boy pressed on this thought, he couldn't help but notice how much he'd learned to gather himself up around the captain. He wasn't intimidated by him, nor did he feel so...small. In fact, more than anything, Roxas felt that Axel was just as much a cabin boy as he was. Captain? Is there really such thing as a position so great? Superiority? Did—did Axel really _have_ that? How could he...if he was here, stranded on an unknown island, weaponless and without a ship and crew?

The blonde thought more, and realized that the only things that made Axel a captain were his gun, his ship and his curse.

Such meritless power...Why would people fight to earn that? Everyone wants power, but to gain it requires a sacrifice of one's dignity and individualism. There are people who serve under someone, ridding them of the will to do anything for themselves. It cancels this image of authority, and rather turns a person into nothing but a fink, a desperate person afraid to accept failure, who then attempts to hide their cowardice by enslaving others.

Then...Axel is a coward.

Roxas scoffed to the side and blankly eyed Axel at an angle. So this was the truth, huh? "...So, you really can't be saved, Axel."

Axel looked up from his lap and blinked up at Roxas. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in curiosity. "Really?" he asked, doubtfully. "Why do you say that?"

The blonde, after shutting his eyes and sighing to the ground, placed a hand over his bandaged wound and with a low voice muttered, "There is no such thing...as a person without greed. You even said so yourself, remember? _You're out of luck._" After he'd said it, the island seemed to fall into silence and all Roxas could do was clench his hand over his wound and bite his tongue. In a way, it'd hurt to say that, and he hadn't even said it directly to Axel's face. He wanted to make Axel feel hopeless. Ever since he'd met Axel, Roxas wanted him to _fall_. But, as he sat there and listened to the ebbing of the waves and the rustling of the wind in the trees, Roxas realized that silence from the captain wasn't as comforting and pleasing as he thought.

Actually, it was rather...depressing.

Way to rub salt in those wounds, Roxas.

He was still gripping onto the front of his bandages when he carefully looked up from the sand and tried to peek at Axel's face, just to see how _exactly_ he'd taken that message. At first, Roxas really did expect the captain to disregard that information and would've merely stood up from the ground and cackled to himself. He expected cynical sentence after cynical sentence to counter his argument, he even expected Axel to prove him wrong with some card stuffed up his sleeve...

But no.

The captain sat there, quietly and with his head hanging over his lap as if he'd just fallen into a deep trance. Roxas couldn't see his face, and out of pure curiosity and, he had to admit, a bit of concern, he lowered his head to see what was going on with Axel. The sand around their bodies shifted as the blonde inched his body closer, closer...and finally he could see Axel's face and feel him breathing against his skin. Axel's eyes were unblinking, narrowed and dark; his lips were parted, still and it didn't appear as if he was breathing. Drips of salt water fell from loose strands of hair dangling over his eyes...lost eyes.

"...Sir?" Roxas's eyes softened as he scanned over Axel's face, but it didn't seem like his word got through. He felt like he had to do something now...but what?

It seemed like there was nothing...Roxas could do. Axel looked off to his left, away from Roxas and away from the ocean, and seemed to search for something of importance in the vast stretch of beach...but all he came up with were sand and open sky. He always knew this kid was smart, but it...really did hurt to know that Roxas knew the truth. On that thought, Axel pushed up from the ground and began to walk away from his companion with his back turned and his face completely straight and emotionless.

"I'll...look for a way off this place," the muttered over his shoulder, and continued on.

Roxas really did want to follow him, reach out and pull him back so that he could _do_ something to undo his words. The truth hurts the receiver, but Roxas felt that it was attacking him as well.

He watched as the little shadow of the captain sauntered further and further away down the shoreline, leaving his footprints to be washed up by the incoming waves.

"...I don't know if I can save you...Axel."

xxXXxx

Roxas hadn't seen Axel for the remainder of the morning. For the most part, he'd been spending his time wandering the shore and lounging underneath palm trees. This island wasn't huge—he could peek through the trees and see the other side of the island easily, so he had a feeling that getting around here wouldn't be so bad. He should've been enjoying his time on land. The sun, the sand, the air...but instead he had to sulk around and feel miserable. He didn't understand it. He'd _wanted_ this freedom, but because he'd received it by poor means, he wasn't so sure he was willing to grasp it at all.

The sun was setting by the time he'd arrived at a particular spot on the small island with large boulders and a few tide pools gathered around them. The sky had changed color so quickly from bright blue to deep orange and purple, but although the sight was comforting...Roxas didn't feel that way. He was...still alone. Aside from that, he was cold and weak both mentally and physically. Sigh.

"Too damn quiet here," he grumbled to his feet, kicking up a cloud of sand as he did. Since he wasn't wearing a shirt anymore, he had to keep his arms close to his chest to preserve heat. Night was falling faster than expected, and pretty soon Roxas would be consumed by darkness...cold and empty darkness. He shivered thinking about it and pulled his chin into his chest. He wasn't a huge fan of darkness, but—dare he say it—since he was a _pirate_ he had to endure harsh circumstances.

On top of being uncomfortable with the environment, Roxas was uneasy at mind and heart. Too damn confused to set the world straight. Axel's story had been circling in his mind since their conversation ended and, he had to be honest, ever since the captain had left he had the urge to find him again. What a feeling...

It was just that...Axel probably needed someone just as much as Roxas. Regardless of whom he was, Axel was a human. He might've been a coward with a lust for dominance, but above all he was a human with emotions. In reality, that lust came naturally. But because he'd been made to believe that greed is a curse, maybe Axel just didn't feel so normal anymore...and maybe the reason why he kept so close to Roxas was because—

_Because he was the only one who could understand._

Roxas shook his head, earning a light head afterward, and froze in place just before his feet touched an incoming wave. The tide had already washed in, shrinking the size of the already tiny island. So now Roxas felt cramped. A flightless bird stuck in a cage, possibly. Was this punishment? Was this what he deserved...for betraying?

He hung his head and listened to the waves, trying to concentrate hard to hear if there was any message hidden within the sound. He'd learned a long time ago that countries weren't so far apart as they seem and that one day people could always see and hear each other. They were all connected. Now there were vast oceans that disconnected chains and kept one person from another. Roxas carefully placed a closed hand over his chest and knew...that he was victim to this disconnection. Somewhere, Sora was..._still alive_. And here Roxas was, a million miles away. Who to blame for that...?

He wanted to cry about now...but as the cold wind whipped at his cheeks, he looked up and his eyes diverted to the right, distracted by a dark silhouette sitting motionless against the rising moon. He couldn't cry now. Immediately, his eyes widened and he turned his body toward the shadow sitting atop a boulder which was completely surrounded by the high tide. The wind rushed past the two of them, filling in the silence and, strangely, easing the tension in the air.

"...Axel," Roxas whispered, taking a step forward. The shadow didn't budge.

Yeah, that was Axel alright. After all, they were the only two on this island right now, so Roxas really couldn't have a doubt. Still, given the circumstances, it was difficult to trust who was who and what was what, so Roxas took caution as he took another step closer to the shadow. He could feel shivers travel all along his body as his ankles sunk below the waves. The silence the two of them were in was so perfect...and for once he felt a strange wave of comfort. For a second, he felt like shutting his eyes, possibly drift off to sleep if he could, but he was too consumed in his feeling to fall asleep on it.

At last, Axel's shadow seemed to move and Roxas instantly locked his eyes on him with deep interest. He waited...until finally the silence broke, a sudden happening that caused Roxas's breathing to hitch.

"...I found a way off the island." Axel looked over his shoulder a bit as he said it and the rest of his body remained frozen atop the boulder. Roxas noticed that his right leg was pulled up to his chest while the other was dangling over the edge, barely touching the waves underneath.

He didn't respond and merely furrowed his eyebrows slightly, confused at what Axel had brought up. He held both of his elbows to his chest in an almost insecure way. Honestly, he sort of was insecure at the moment.

A tiny smile curved on the captain's thin lips when Roxas remained silent and as he peered up at the rising moon he chuckled and tried to envision the look on the boy's face. Hah. What a _pretty_ little thing he was. No doubt that under this moonlight he would be even prettier. There were many reasons to like Roxas, not just for looks, but for what was _inside_ him. However, what truly captivated Axel...remained a secret.

He sighed and spoke again. "It'll take work, hard work, mind you, and a lot of time, but it's the only way, you see." Axel had said it so quietly and seriously that Roxas had a hard time believing that the words were coming from the right person. He swallowed hard and for a second felt his insides turn as guilt struck his entire body, giving him a pain even greater than the gash underneath his bandages. What a stupid feeling...

When Roxas kept quiet, Axel looked out over the dark horizon with vacant eyes. "And considering that we're both injured, the process might take longer."

"What process?" Roxas suddenly blurted out, still holding his arms close to his chest. It was freezing out here because of the waves and retaining his stubborn voice was difficult with the wind wrapping around his body. The blonde watched as Axel slowly, very slowly, twisted his body and soon revealed his face to him, illuminated from behind by the moon. Normally, Roxas would've found the sight to be romantic, but right now he just wasn't so sure what he really should think.

At last Axel answered the boy's question with a steady, almost eerie voice, saving the poor thing the suspense. Before he did, he lowered his leg from the boulder so that his feet were dangling freely over the tide and glanced over his shoulder to lock his eyes the best he could with Roxas. And then...he felt a strange beating in his chest upon looking at him, standing in the light like that. Seeing Roxas so quiet and serene did make Axel jealous, jealous because he hadn't felt contentment like Roxas could in a while, but at the same time he felt...somewhat at peace.

So he smiled.

"...I've been on this island before, you know," he said to which Roxas's head tilted curiously. "Took me a while to remember, but I eventually figured out that I came to this island a long time ago...to kill one of my captain's crew members." Axel paused and suddenly he looked away from the blonde as if he were ashamed to say that. After a moment he shook his head and continued. "So, I know that land isn't too far from here. We'll have to build a raft and head in that direction soon as we're done, so we can't afford to let some cuts and bruises get in the way of our work, savvy?"

Roxas's eyes widened and at once he nodded up at him. "Yeah. Yeah I do..."

Hearing that...made Axel's chest hurt, but in a good way, strangely enough. He scoffed, shutting his eyes as he did and brought a shaking hand to the top of his head where he began to run his fingers through his hair. Quite honestly, he was overwhelmed with..._emotions_, ones that had been _stolen_ from him so many years ago, and quite honestly, he wasn't sure how to express them correctly.

"So determined, aren't you?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.

...But Roxas gave him one anyway.

"I have to be. For myself...and for you."

The captain looked up at that and lowered his hand from his head in shock. What was that? What'd he just hear? Yes, he'd heard his crew say things like that before, literally bowing and kissing his feet as they did, but from _Roxas_ the words sounded true and compassionate. The boy didn't even get down on his knees and make himself smaller than the captain; he simply made them equal.

That...he'd wanted. To be level with someone. Without pension, without worship and flashy words...

_He'd wanted that_.

It had happened so quickly that Roxas barely had the time to blink, let alone catch his breath. Within the minute he'd said those few simple words, he'd heard a splash, his _name_, and soon Axel's shadow came jolting at him like lightning, eventually colliding with his body at what he expected to be the same force. But it didn't hurt..._it didn't hurt_. No. He felt familiar warmth spreading across his face, down his chest and through his veins. It traveled through his body and loosened his muscles, causing them to relax and his body to melt in place. By then he could barely stand, but he welcomed this strange sensation...took it in without regret and without fear.

Axel's arms were coiled protectively around Roxas's body—a hand was holding the back of Roxas's head and pulling it close to his chest while the other hand stayed at his back. Under no circumstances would he lose sight of this boy...this _pretty _little thing, this—this _pirate_. He'd wanted Roxas ever since he'd seen him, and even though he'd broken the rules, Axel still had hope. No...regardless of what the blonde had done, he'd still be able to save the captain. This new sensation in his body proved that.

With his eyes shut and lips beside Roxas's ear, Axel nudged the boy's head and tried to understand what it was like...to accept someone else other than himself. He found himself asking if hugging was the proper thing to do, if maybe he was too quick to jump ahead to this position. Was that selfish of him? Technically, he was using Roxas for his own benefit, but somehow...Axel thought that this need for Roxas was normal, not a cursed desire. Gently he brushed the tips of his fingers over the exposed skin on Roxas's back, earning sharp and sudden goosebumps in response. He did it again, tracing the faint curve of the spine before stopping as his fingers met with the makeshift bandages wrapped around Roxas's torso. He smirked and carefully turned his head just enough so that his lips tapped the blonde's ear.

"I should thank you..." he whispered casually.

Roxas shut his own eyes and kept his body perfectly still within Axel's hold. His arms remained at his side. His feet were firmly planted in the sand. "For what?" he asked. "Being a smart aleck? A jackass?" After he'd said it, Roxas felt Axel's hold tighten and he held his breath when it did. Should he believe that Axel was hugging him because he truly _wanted_ to? What a mess.

"No," he replied with a scoff. "No, _you_, Roxas...understand this little predicament I'm in, something I think Xigbar and the others are jealous of. And I think he's aware that the type of greed you hold inside is much less malicious than theirs. See, when each of them failed to constrain themselves, they shared the curse with me, meaning that they couldn't feel; they couldn't _comprehend_ with others...And here you are. Hm. You see _past_ the curse, don't you? To you, we're all _normal_ people. To you, being greedy can be a good thing."

Roxas searched the air for an answer.

"Your..._darkness_ isn't only for you. You don't _want_ things because you're selfish. You bend the rules, do a little wrong...for the sake of other people, am I right?"

_Was he right?_

"Take for example your brother. All you lust for is to go back home...and see him again. A _different kind_ of greediness is inside you...How strange."

"...Do you like that?"

Axel opened his eyes after the question and stared at Roxas's neck. "Hm?"

Sighing, the boy turned his head and tried to stand up on tiptoes so that he could speak clearer into the captain's ear. Perhaps that was a stupid move, but he'd done it anyway. "Is that what makes me special to you?"

"Ah, I remember this question."

"You should," Roxas said smugly, smiling with parted lips against Axel's skin. "You never answered me the first time I asked."

"Mm...Well, there you are. I believe all that answered your question rather well."

"And now I ask another question. I'll need one answer from you again, sir."

Something close to a purr vibrated in Axel's throat and transferred onto Roxas's bare shoulder, causing his eyes to dilate and flutter a couple of times in surprise. Soon he could feel cold teeth below his left ear and he gasped when a tongue followed to taste his skin. He wondered if Axel really enjoyed tasting salt water and blood. So, was this the answer Roxas was supposed to get? If so, he supposed he should take it as a yes.

His eyes were half shut when he carefully brought a hand behind Axel's head and pulled it closer to his neck as if to beg for more contact. Immediately Axel obliged and dragged his tongue below Roxas's jaw line at an extremely slow pace. By the time he'd started to bite Roxas's earlobe, the blonde once again brought his lips to Axel's ear and whispered in a vulnerable voice.

"_Axel_..."

"Mhm?"

"...I think you'd like to get the hell off this island as much as I do, so there's really no time for this,_ is there?_"

The redhead chuckled at that and once he'd loosened his grip Roxas quickly slipped out under his arms and took off walking down the beach and into the darkness. Axel turned to watch him saunter away and eyed his body language—the way his hips swayed, the way his arms swung in the air. Roxas had even pushed at Axel's chest before he'd walked off. Oh, did they really have to leave the island so soon?

They were just starting to have fun.

* * *

**AXEL. NO. BAD AXEL. NO ROXAS GROPING TONIGHT. BAD.**

**...psh, yeah right. XD ok, guys, that chapter took COUNTLESS jetlagged nights to type up. this is getting to the point where i'm just so..._disappointed_ in myself. DX uhm...i really should've been working on honors english crap over this vacation, but instead i spent my time buying candy, trinkets, panties (HOORAY?) and CDs for the trip back home...and writing fanfiction. have i also mentioned watching, like, a BAJILLION movies on HBO? so...i think my teacher's gonna have a cow when i go back to school with a crappy essay. PHAIL.**

**OMG OMG OMG, who here has seen all the WONDEROUS kingdom hearts news lately??? OMG YAY. YAYNESS. YAYNESS TO THE MILLIONTH POWER. i'm so...FANGIRLY. i think my inner fangirl will es'plode once 358 over 2 days is released in a couple of months. i was really praying for next month, but FUCKING SQUARE ENIX IS TOO BIPOLAR. ugh. anyway.**

**let's see...yeah, i had a kahlua yesterday! it tasted pretty much awesome. i'm trying to taste some alcohol before i head back home...where the age limit ACTUALLY matters, ya know...on that note, perhaps i should try something ELSE while i'm here...-shifty eyes-**

**naw. XD**

**lastly, i'm going to japan for a short stop over tomorrow, and i'm gonna end up buying magazines for sure. i just have to dig through all the pron magazines before i find a decent one to bring back home. AH. speaking of porn, i need to draw some AKUROKU PR0N. OH GOD. what if the security guard opened my bag and saw that drawing, though?? ...i think i should save drawing that until after i get back home. oh, darn...**

**now. kindly keep your hands to yourself, axel. you _do_ have to pay attention to other things, tsk.  
**

**_do you like that...?,  
kokoro77_  
**


	13. Wishing Star

**Author's Note: .-. upside down...yet again.**

**i had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and that's one of the reasons why it took such a long while to update! i worked hard on it, and while i wrote it, i had a lot of emotions running 28438743811818393939 MPH in my blood stream... XD. yeah. that's...where the emotions run wild, i swear. but seriously, that's my reason this time. at least i'm not...dead? hooray? ...i really did miss you all!  
**

**i've recently returned from a school retreat, and now that i'm back to write, i feel rejuvenated and totally ready to attack any writer's block thrown at me. COME ON, HIT ME! ...don't hit it, please. xO well, what are you waiting for? axel's been waiting much too long for this chapter. i'm pretty sure that roxas is in for some nice-- -TV STATIC-**

* * *

Chapter 13: Wishing Star

_"Hey. If you don't get your ass off the ground, we'll never get off this damn island. Hey, are you listening? Hey!"_

"Mmm...You're so loud," Axel grumbled, bringing a limp hand to his forehead. His skin felt warm and wet with sweat, and judging by the warmth of the sand under him, the sun was out and the time was around noon. Pirate instinct. With a loud whine, he cracked open his eyes and peeked through the gaps in his fingers at the blue, cloudless sky overhead. Sure, the sight was a beauty, but the heat and the sound of Roxas nagging like a bitch at him eliminated the sensation all together.

"Oh, shut up will you, kid?" he grumbled again toward the sky. He heard a loud "hmph" from behind him and didn't get the chance to reply since he felt a wad of sand land smack dap in the middle of his face. "HEY!" Immediately he forced his spine to straighten and once he was sitting properly on the shore he brought both hands to his face where he began to brush off the mess. Something wasn't quite right with Roxas today.

Roxas wasn't in the mood for slacking. As he crossed his arms over his bandages, he glared sharply at the captain's back and impatiently tapped his foot on the sand. He didn't particularly like waiting, or procrastinating for that matter. When people didn't get work done, he wanted nothing more than to see them suffer for their mistake. Hm. And Axel said that they'd need to work diligently...

"You're oversleeping," he hissed, turning his head away. "We can't waste time lounging around. Do you want your ship back, or not?"

"Obviously I...do..."

"Then put your ass in gear and _help me!_"

"Oy, calm your waters, Roxas. You won't get anywhere with that temper. Stresses people out, you know."

The blonde scoffed and went back to dragging a piece of driftwood he'd picked up earlier that morning to a little pile he'd created under the shade of two large palm trees. Axel scratched the back of his head and he had to admit that he was impressed by the kid's productivity. While the pile was small, Axel judged that it contained enough large pieces of wood to build up half of a raft, if not the mast at best. He chuckled in spite of himself and eventually got up on his feet, sweat dripping from his brows from the sweltering rays of the sun.

"If there's one thing I hate about islands it's the exposure to sunlight. Xigbar's a cruel one to have left us by this tiny island with little shade. Don't you think so?" he asked Roxas, though he didn't turn toward him when he did. Roxas merely ignored the question and once he'd reached the wood pile, tossed the piece right on top of the others with a strong heave. Despite his wounds, he carried on his work.

Well, he had to. For the sake of survival and all. To think, some months ago he was just a simple blacksmith amateur with nothing to look forward to in his day but hours sitting on a rickety fence and nights where he didn't have to stand guard over the shop. Now he was here: stranded in the middle of god-knows-where with his life in total jeopardy. Really, while it was frightening, it was also an amazing thrill.

Under the shade of the palm trees, Roxas wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and stared down at the pile, totaling up the pieces of wood he'd collected. About eight large pieces so far. Three of them were flat pieces of driftwood and the remaining five were old partial trunks of trees which had fallen over before. His head started to throb when he began to map out the design of this raft...

"Ugh..."

Axel's eyebrows rose at the boy's sudden groan. "Hm? Overworked yourself, have you?"

Roxas shook his head vigorously. "Never mind me. Look, when you want to find yourself useful, fashion some rope or topple some trees down."

Clearly Roxas had really forgotten about authority to be addressing Axel in such a crude way. "And what do you know about raft building?" Axel asked curiously to which Roxas exhaled loudly to release his frustration. What was with all the questions lately?

"It doesn't matter how I know or what I know. All that matters right now is leaving. That should be enough for you." And with that, Roxas pulled wet strands of hair out of his face and trudged off to his left in search of more supplies. You would've thought him to be a gopher of some sort the way he was acting. Roxas's actions...one thing that kept Axel completely thoroughly entertained. For some reason, it was always a beauty to see Blondie walk off with his back turned—occasionally he had a fist clenched or a cuss escaped his lips.

As he watched Roxas' feet sink into the hot sand, Axel ran a hand through his hair and with the other reached down for a side pocket on his left pant leg. He slowly unfastened a button from the pocket and slipped his long fingers inside to retrieve a small, square green bottle. Turning his ear toward the object, he brought it to his cheek and shook it to listen to the contents swashing around inside.

What a beautiful sound—the sound of a little yet perfectly full bottle of rum. Upon hearing it, a thin smirk appeared on the captain's face. He quickly lifted the bottle up so that it was covering Roxas's tiny figure in the distance and gestured toward it as if giving a toast.

"Now it's enough for me."

xxXXxx

Lucky for Roxas there was a small jungle on the island with just enough dangling vines to use as rope. As he began to yank them down from the branches, he grumbled out loud to himself, picturing Axel doing nothing but staring out at the ocean waiting for things to get done on their own. Ugh. What a spoiled _brat_. A sharp, cold wind slapped at Roxas's back when he thought it and his whole body shivered with fear. But what did he have to be so afraid of?

Maybe...he didn't want to get off this place so soon. If Axel really was planning on finding his crew at once, then the odds of Roxas surviving on that ship seemed pretty slim. He was worried that the sight of his face would make Xigbar go berserk. Or worse, what if by the time the two of them found the crew they were off tormenting another town? What if it was a town he knew? What if it was _his town?_ Would there be a point in leaving this place just to end up back in hell?

The blonde's eyes turned down for a second while he was in the middle of wrapping a third vine around his hands, and suddenly, despite the heat and despite his totally anger and frustration, he was lost. What the hell was he doing here? If he wanted, he could've found his own way out of this place; could've sailed on without Axel there to bombard him with meaningless questions. No, no, focus, Roxas.

If he really had to, he'd go back on that ship. And if he really, really had to, there he'd stay.

Where was he going to spend the rest of his life now? This island? Axel's ship? _Home?_

Another harsh wind whipped at Roxas's back and immediately he snapped back into reality to realize that his eyes were starting to weigh down with tears. No matter what he tried, no matter how many times his body begged him to cry even for a second, Roxas just felt like he didn't have the capacity to show weakness.

Because his heart hurt so much, the rest of his body fell numb. He couldn't feel his legs, he couldn't feel his arms and soon gravity took over. He collapsed in a messy heap in the sand, and absently stared down at his open palms—they were scratched and his wrists were still bruised from the multiple times he'd had them bound together in tight chains or rope. It seemed that no matter where he went, he was still a bird in a cage. His sparkling blue eyes suddenly became very empty and he narrowed them as his thoughts began to cloud his mind.

xxXXxx

_See that one star? The one over there?_

_Hm? Oh yeah, I saw it. It was falling right outta the sky._

_Yeah...they say that once you see one, you have to stop what ever you're doing and make a wish. A good one, too. And you can't tell anyone 'bout it otherwise it'll never come true._

_How many times have you wished, Sora?_

_...Mm. I've lost count._

_Did all of 'em come true?_

_Well...no. I made a crazy one when we were smaller...and I wished for mom and dad to come back._

_O-oh._

_...I guess there are some wishes that'll come true, and others that won't. I always thought that maybe I wasn't wishing hard enough._

_Hm. So what'll you wish for this time?_

_You know I can't tell ya that. Not unless it came true first. Do you believe in falling star wishes, Rox?_

_I...guess._

_Then go 'head and make a wish! You wait too long and the star won't hear it!_

_Yeah. Ok._

xxXXxx

It'd been six years since Roxas saw a falling star. And even at that time, the wish he'd made never came true. In his lifetime, he'd only see two falling stars, and wished on one. Maybe it was stupid of him to waste a wish on the second by asking that he get to see another one soon. But he was a kid at the time, so he didn't know how to think his wishes through. Boy, he could really use a wishing star right about now.

Thinking about it, Roxas briefly peered up at the sky, now pitch black and speckled with yellow and white diamonds. He'd never seen a sky as clear as this one, and already his body felt like melting when he set his eyes on it. Yeah...it was pretty, but just as he expected there were no falling stars to be seen. Somehow, that sight just made the pretty sky seem so empty. With a sigh, he plopped his head back down atop his folded arms and stared out at the dark horizon on the sea.

The air was thick with the smell of salt, hot sand and palm trees and the temperature had dramatically plunged. Still, Roxas could tolerate the cold, even by himself. He'd been virtually alone on Blue for three days, hadn't he? Then he was perfectly capable of surviving tonight...But he even doubted that statement. What, was he now becoming depressed?

"Ugh, Roxas, what's gotten into you?" he asked himself, burying his lips into his arms as he did. A nice warm breeze passed through and paid him a little visit, gently touching his cold face and wounded body as if to reassure him that there was goodness up ahead. He welcomed the feeling for a while...and waited, waited for the night to end. Then he'd be able to see the horizon, and maybe a bit of land. Like the old stories...

Funny. Suddenly he believed fairly tale stories that he used to hate.

He scoffed harshly into his skin and nibbled impatiently on his lower lip. Maybe if he was lucky he'd be able to stay up and watch that sunrise again...Stay up all night and wait for something good to come.

_"Eerie, isn't it?"_

"Hm?" Roxas hardly addressed the voice and only moved his head a little to the left to see Axel walking up to him from the side. His eyes remained still as the redhead clumsily folded his legs into crisscross position and landed on his butt with a loud thump. Roxas felt the sand shift when Axel tried to get more comfortable, and he once again scoffed, thinking that it was a stupid thing to think that one could get cozy in the sand.

"What a night," Axel said, his voice a tad husky and the slightest bit slurred.

"Mm," was all Roxas could reply to that. In reality he meant: "Yes, it's gorgeous, and where the hell have you been? I've been waiting for you to come along." He never said it, though. He never said it...

Axel pulled a leg up to his chest and hugged it to his body while supporting the weight on his right hand. Chuckling to himself, he swirled the contents of his bottle around and around, flicking his wrist this way and that happily as he listened to the sloshing. Mm, even half empty it still made a beautiful sound. And even half empty and after being dumped in the ocean, the stuff tasted bloody good. With one last twirl of his wrist, Axel brought the small bottle to his pink lips and swallowed down half of the half. Roxas became distracted by the noise and with lightly furrowed eyebrows he eyed his companion.

"So you've gone and gotten yourself drunk, huh?"

"Hmhm, oh no, Roxas. It'll take much more than two bottles of this..._tiny, tiny_ bottle of rum to get me drunk. But I can feel her fire workin', trust me on that." Axel winked at the boy and began tracing the opening of the bottle with the tip of his tongue, lapping up stray droplets of his precious booze that might have escaped his lips.

The boy turned away from the sight in disgust and once again hid his lips in his arms. "What is it with pirates and drinking?"

"More like mankind," Axel shot back defiantly. "We merely drink to express our happiness...and most other times our sadness so we can go back to expressing our happiness. Hmph. It's a little pick-me-up on a dark and gloomy day." He turned his head to face Roxas and suddenly his eyes lowered when he saw how—oh, what was the word—broken he appeared. Yes, that was it. Roxas looked broken. Like a little child, Axel leaned his face in closer to Roxas's and eyed the dark look in his eyes.

Carefully, Axel used his free hand to brush the bangs out of Roxas's eyes so that he could better see them. Roxas protested by shrugging his shoulders and instantly he turned his head so that his left cheek was resting atop his knees and he was no longer able to see Axel's face.

"What're you thinking?" the redhead asked as if Roxas were still facing him.

"...It was a perfect day today," the boy replied, apathetically, lifelessly.

"That's what you're thinking about?"

"Why would you need a pick-me-up if the day wasn't even remotely gloomy?"

"Oh, it wasn't the weather. Simply felt in need of a drink, that's all."

Roxas scoffed to the darkness and shut his eyes. Suddenly they felt very dry and tired. He wanted to sleep, but at the same time he didn't feel tired. Maybe it was anxiety. Maybe it was depression. He had thoughts about death and betrayal, thoughts about love and embracing circling in his little mind. Growing up hurts. Sora was right.

_Sora. Sora, Sora, Sora._

"You look like you could use some yourself," Axel suddenly whispered, raising the bottle to eye level so that it came in front of the moon. He peered at the rum inside with keen interest, angling his head so that the light of the moon appeared to stain the precious liquid with silver, transforming it into some sort of magic elixir. He'd grown to love this stuff over the course of the five years he'd been a pirate, mostly because of how it changed him. It was like...cold, freezing power rushed through his veins each time he took a sip. His body would loosen, his eyes would feel heavy, and all the burdens of the world would lighten. Axel always felt like he could control anything, everything, anyone and everyone. But even after the little vixen inside him would tease and pleasure him, make him feel like he could accomplish anything, he'd never felt _truly_ pleased with himself. If anything, he felt a bit shameful.

Frowning a bit, he lowered the bottle back to his lap and looked back to Roxas, only to realize that the boy...was looking right at him—the reflection of the moon over the water casting a wonderfully bright spark in his eyes. He wasn't blinking and one might've thought he'd been frozen in place like an angelic statue, the kind he'd grown accustomed to seeing by all the useless churches and fountains...

Or maybe he was like a porcelain doll—the kind with the gleaming glass eyes and tiny black eyelashes so apparent against its pale white skin. He stole these dolls from the girls when they weren't looking, and broke them because they were such fragile, useless things. Was Roxas just as fragile a doll? Was he just as useless?

"...Hello," the redhead chirruped thoughtfully to which Roxas sighed.

"Drink," Roxas started quietly, "I don't mind it."

There was a long pause after that. Axel continued to stare at Roxas at the corner of his eye, not sure if Roxas was really looking at him or somewhere out there in the abyss of things. He soon shrugged to himself and in one swift move drained what remained of the rum inside the bottle. Well, if Roxas didn't mind it...

The blonde's eyes wandered as the captain first looked over the bottle in his hand and then tossed it out to the water before shoving his hand in his other side pocket. Roxas noticed the captain's face cringe when his wounded wrist brushed against the material of his clothes. He seemed to endure, and no matter what pain he'd just gone through, Axel went on drinking another bottle of rum he'd pulled out of his pocket.

"Mm...look up there."

Roxas turned to his companion when he heard him mumble something and saw that Axel was pointing the tip of the bottle up toward the sky. He followed the direction it was pointing in with his eyes, hoping to see something spectacular, but all he saw were the same stars that had been here each night.

He shrugged. "Stars."

Nothing special ever happened with stars anymore.

"Stars..." he repeated sadly to which Axel put his drink down. But he didn't speak. He merely stared more into the boy's face, and Roxas tried so very hard to ignore him. His cheeks began to tingle once he finally gathered up his courage and locked eyes with Axel at an extremely slow pace.

"...What about the stars?"

Axel leaned back onto his arms and didn't break the gaze he and Roxas held when he replied. "They're all the same, but you never see the same ones every night. One might be dead tomorrow, two, three...a couple new ones might show up, but you'll never know. We're all too small to know big answers like that."

"Hmph. How quaint."

"Isn't it?" The captain narrowed his eyes until he looked about ready to fall asleep.

Roxas grunted a bit in disbelief. "This coming from you, the all powerful Axel, hm? Am I hearing that right? Are you actually admitting that you're small?" The ghost of a smirk etched his face when he asked the questions.

Axel caught that tiny smile and half chuckled to himself. The way Roxas's face would just...glow when he'd smile, even in the most devious of ways, made him charming. Why, why, _why_ could he feel affected by that sight? Why did he always feel so loose and _fine_ when he was around Roxas?

"Roxas," Axel said quietly, barely moving. Roxas blinked and waited.

"Yeah?"

"...I'm going to kiss you."

_...What?_

"What?" the blonde repeated what his brain nearly shouted, but even though he was utterly shocked and almost taken aback by the statement, his body was slow to react and simply remained calm and composed. He brought his head up from his knees and, still staring at the redhead, parted his lips in question. His toes curled in his shoes and his fingers unconsciously gripped onto his elbows.

All these Axel saw and liked. Very much.

Without responding to Roxas's question, he shifted his position on the sand so that his right hip was pressed into the ground and he was leaning in toward the boy's body, invading his space. Roxas slowly moved his head back when Axel's came closer to him and his breathing suddenly became very shallow. He threw his arms out behind him to support his weight and stared almost cross eyed at Axel's face in bewilderment.

But that surprise hadn't lasted long. No. Suddenly Roxas found that his eyes narrowed and softened, his fingers relaxed and his lips began to quiver anxiously. All these...Axel saw. And liked. Very much.

"I thought you liked the element of surprise."

Axel hadn't smiled or even laughed at that, mostly because he wanted to keep his concentration. While Roxas's eyes wandered from Axel's face to his neck to where ever else, Axel's kept glued to the boy's eyes—his porcelain, angel-like eyes. Now his face had drawn closer and closer to the point where Roxas couldn't lean any farther backward. Any more and he'd be either against a tree trunk or on the ground.

"...I-I..."

"Why do I do this?" Axel asked as if repeating a stammered question Roxas had just asked. "I told you...I want to know what you want."

"But...why? You already know what I want. I want to go back...to Sora."

"Hm. That's simple, really. You remember the man you met, the one that came in the fog, yes?"

Roxas nodded once, steadying his breath.

"He gave me two things before he abandoned me."

"...I'd been meaning t' ask what happened to them."

"_Ah_," the redhead drawled which sent shivers up Roxas' arms. "So you know about them. Then, _what were they?_"

"T-The...key. Your sword."

With those words spoken, Axel smiled for a second and pressed his lips against Roxas's left earlobe. "Good boy. That key you saw..." Using one hand, Axel took one of Roxas's into his own and guided his fingertips up to his collarbone. "The one that sat right here...She gave me the ability to find those desires within people. You see, he's _testing me _now; trying to make me find out your desires without that key."

Roxas listened with undivided attention to Axel's strangely sultry voice. He swallowed and twitched his fingers as they remained on the captain's collarbone. Why hadn't he taken his hand back?

"Secretly, he's afraid of you, Roxas. Because he _knows_ that you can free me. But he'll do anything to make it that much harder. _I can see around that trick._"

It seemed that Axel was about to kiss the boy before Roxas hurriedly asked another question. "And the sword, what about that one?" He felt a chuckle vibrate in Axel's chest since his fingers had still been there and, startled, he withdrew his hand, leaving his fingertips feeling cold.

"...He's prevented me from killing you."

"O-oh." What a pleasant thought. Well, Roxas really did feel a tad taken aback by that statement—Axel had said it so lucidly that the word "kill" didn't seem like such a bad one. He thought back to the time when he and Axel were stuck together, prisoners together in a stone cold and dark jail cell. He thought about the tension that rose in the air and how desperately he'd wanted to break it. And even when he found himself pinned like a butterfly by Axel's hand, waiting for death and loss of air, Roxas never died. In the fire, before that man in the fog, Axel had kept Roxas away...from death.

His thoughts were abruptly yanked out of his head, like fabric yanked out from underneath his feet, and with bated breath he gasped with his head tilted up to the star speckled sky. Something had touched him. Something had touched him _there_. It was oh-so slow, and very gentle, and yet there was just enough pressure in the touch that caused Roxas to make such a vulnerable sound. Axel, as soon as Roxas lowered his head back down, pressed his forehead against his companions and proceeded to massage his fingers against the stiffening muscles of Roxas's lower stomach.

"You said you were gonna ki—"

The redhead cut the boy off immediately, earning a surprised gasp in response, and didn't hesitate to slip his tongue into Roxas's mouth and taste him. Hm. _Surprise_. Was that the surprise you'd been waiting for, longing for? With each deep kiss, Axel kept his fingers at work, first above the waist then slowly, ever-slowly down until he could feel the cold metal of a button on his fingertips. Both of their bodies shook—though Roxas's shook _tremendously_—and Axel only took that reaction as a sign to move on, move on, _go_.

"A-Ah..." Roxas puffed, trying his best to close up his throat and make those retched sounds go away. He wanted to shut up. He wanted to slap this man and make him _bleed_...

But then the touching became harder, and the movements of Axel's fingers moved like waves on Roxas's muscles. He pushed into the boy's skin, making the muscles loosen and shake with each passing second. The blonde, desperate for either contact or distraction, took his right hand and gripped onto the wrist of the hand which Axel was using to grope him. But he was the one who was utterly distracted, not Axel. Roxas couldn't multitask very well, and here he was kissing and trying to hold the captain back at the same time.

_Both felt so...good._

He let another tiny sound escape against Axel's wet tongue and soon he was panting and cringing from the pain or pleasure erupting inside his stomach. He could feel Axel's hip grinding against his and pretty soon he could feel Axel rubbing his cock against his leg in time with his strokes against Roxas's. Suddenly, the blonde's body was flooded with emotions.

No, no, don't say a _word_, Roxas. Don't make a sound, don't even think to breathe. Just hold your breath and ignore the feeling...

But how could he? The heat was unsurpassable, the sounds that their tongues and lips made against each other was _thrilling_, and worst of all, the flame that once tickled his insides when he'd laid eyes on Axel was starting to burn him and set his whole body...aflame. Roxas's fingers coiled desperately around Axel's wrist, but rather than pushing them away as he originally intended, he slowly controlled the rhythm which the redhead followed and forced his hand to add pressure when he wanted. Soon his hips bucked, his legs twitched and he found himself in total synch with this pirate...

Roxas, however, didn't want to admit that he was enjoying the foreplay, and remained as quiet as he could, only keeping his tongue in Axel's mouth to keep himself from yelling out something disgusting. But, as if to read the boy's mind, Axel's tongue froze and he momentarily tapped the tips of their tongues together before completely slipping out of Roxas's mouth. He smiled devilishly when he saw the boy open his eyes in shock and his tongue twitch slightly as if he were missing the sensation of a kiss. Hm. Kissing. Amazing what a kiss can do.

Chuckling, he tested these newfound sensations running through his body and proceeded to rub Roxas in the best way he could. Strangely enough, as the seconds ticked by, he hadn't received a response. Ch, what a stubborn little kid. Lowering his eyes, Axel gradually travelled his fingers upward and away from Roxas's groin just to make him assume that he was stopping, but once he passed the boy's button he slyly slipped his long, slender fingers down his pants and went on to fondle around between the mess of fabrics. Roxas...then let out another sound.

"_Ah..!_" He exhaled on that one so roughly that when his breath brushed against Axel's skin, goosebumps formed. The little exclamation was high pitched yet quiet and sultry. He grinned and worked his fingers in the fabric...until he slipped under that and finally touched Roxas's cock as he wanted. After Roxas violently twitched and sharply scratched Axel's wrist, Axel leaned in close and tried his best to whisper words with a collective voice, just as he had done before to get Roxas to calm down.

"..._Is that what you want?_"

Roxas had his eyes shut and his mouth partially open to the touch, so he was clearly too lost in these waves of pleasure to realize that Axel had spoken. Still, the captain teased him gently.

"_Like this?_" As he asked it, he gently dragged the very tip of his fingernail along the underside of Roxas's shaft, earning whiny trills and a rapid heart rate against his chest. Hm, was that what Roxas wanted? He decided to experiment. All his fingers copied the example of the first, never adding full pressure to Roxas, simply teasing the sensitive, pulsing skin so as to force the boy to beg. When no sound escaped his wet lips, Axel took his thumb and rubbed the head in very slow strokes.

"_And that?_" No response. But Roxas's body was already on edge. Axel knew this. He knew that his little Roxas was going to break in two if he didn't succumb to these touches. Soon, a heated debate and argument grew between the two of them—without words, without punches or insults. No, no, Axel always won at this sort of game. Roxas had to fall this time. Call it payback for what happened last time...

Roxas managed to turn his head to the side and open his eyes a crack so as to avoid looking at what Axel was doing to his body. But not looking wouldn't make the sensation go away, nor would it make Axel stop, only persist. He bit his lower lip and with tears clouding his eyes he shamefully moved with Axel's thumb by raising his hips. He felt Axel press hard against the slit and his fingers clawed at the captain's collarbone for support. Roxas hadn't realized that he had leaned in so close to Axel and was now holding onto his body for dear life.

"Mm..." he muttered, biting his lip harder to stop the moan traveling up his throat. This foreplay was so exhilarating yet tiresome and confusing at the same time. Roxas's mind was either in utter bliss or complete torture, but whenever he would try to focus on one sensation, Axel would move in such a way so that the blonde's thoughts escaped him and he was forced to become like a puppet, nearly melting in Axel's hands. He stopped biting his lip and ducked his head until his chin was resting on Axel's shoulder.

As the redhead continued to stroke him, Roxas felt gravity take control on his body and with one tiny push he fell into the sand...and his world turned—it spun, it twirled and flipped upside down. He could feel the light touch of Axel's lips on his neck and felt it travel downward toward his chest. Roxas squirmed in secret delight—his legs bending and his arms reaching for his companion's back—but no matter what Axel did, Roxas wouldn't make a sound.

He tried again, this time releasing his hold from Roxas's cock and using that hand to grab Roxas's chest. Axel looked up from kissing the boy's chest to see the reaction in those beautiful glass eyes—they were narrowed, teary, but more than anything extremely lost in the moment. He smirked at that sight and with a light chuckle he dipped his head and playfully bit at the bandages.

Roxas's feet kicked at that and at first he seemed to protest, clawing violently at Axel's back. "Quit that...!"

"Don't think I will," Axel replied, already starting to peel away part of the bandage with two fingers. When Roxas protested still, he got up onto his knees—one leg on either side of Roxas—and slowly slipped his black vest off. As he dropped it off his shoulders and onto the sand, he didn't notice that Roxas's kicking had since halted and that the blonde was more preoccupied in watching his skin so bright against the fair moonlight. A few dark clouds had rolled over the moon and left the two to kiss and touch in near complete darkness. Suddenly, Roxas felt a bit more comfortable without the spotlight...

And his body loosened even more.

His hips and legs wriggled in the sand but Axel made sure to keep them in place by straddling the boy. He hadn't returned to touching ang kissing _right_ away, but instead stared down at that face...so innocent and cute. Hm. He could see drops of sweat rolling down the blonde's flushed cheeks and he only then realized that he, too, was starting to feel a little hot. Oh, but what did it matter? With a smirk pulled onto his lips, Axel once again lowered his body until his and Roxas's noses touched and hovered over Roxas's lips for at least a few minutes, keeping his companion eagerly waiting in a cold sweat.

"What?" Roxas asked breathlessly, arching his back. "Ah..." He slid his right arm to the side and there Axel caught his wrist and lifted it over his head where he later held it in place. "You should..._stop_." His hips rose and unintentionally he rubbed the two of them together.

"...I'm waiting on your call, mate," Axel whispered over Roxas's lips, his eyes shut and his breathing extremely shallow. "You say the word, I'll follow."

"Say..."

"Just say it. _Tell me._"

Roxas soon had the tip of his tongue dancing wildly behind his teeth, tasting the bit of rum that Axel had left behind, but he wasn't so sure why he was doing that. Was it Axel's voice, his bewildered mind or what...? _What?_ And what did he have to tell Axel? What did he have to say? A simple sound? A word...? Quickly, he shut his eyes, parted his lips and with bated breath replied:

"Dammit..._just fuck me, will you?_" He nearly regretted that he'd said that, and in such a silly, rough way, too, but after a few passing seconds Roxas sighed and realized that he truly meant what he said, so there was no reason to act so embarrassed about it.

"Anything for you..._sir_." He felt a strange quiver on Axel's skin that made him gasp and, without words, the redhead picked Roxas up on that command and their lips crashed together instantly, Axel not hesitating to plunge deep into Roxas's mouth and overtake him without mercy. Roxas's bandages, which had earlier been loosened a bit by Axel, were suddenly starting to tear at his stomach by the friction between the two of them. He didn't mind it. Axel didn't mind it. The pain had already become nonexistent because Roxas's body had literally numbed itself.

Roxas slowly grew accustomed to the pressure on his body and despite the soreness in his back and stomach, he moved in perfect rhythm with Axel, making sure to multitask as best he could. He still didn't know, as he wrapped his arms around the redhead's neck, if whenever they kissed and whenever they made contact, it was out of love. He didn't know if he loved Axel, he'd never said it. Neither of them had. But the feelings he'd get from all this heat were too good to be true. Maybe the reason was in those feelings, and maybe the only reason they met...was because there a part of each other that they had to _fix._

The blonde whimpered on that thought and held his breath for a short second when Axel's tongue left him and immediately slithered down to his neck. He felt thin fingers gently pulling away the bandages that concealed his naked skin and allowed them to touch him, allowed them to pull and push and, oh, all those exhilarating things he'd never felt before in his life. Soon, Roxas's eyes dilated and when he let his breath go, he nearly screamed into the darkness.

"_Ah, god...!_"

"...So where's your god now, Roxas?"

He could tell that Axel wasn't one to follow the Bible.

"He's letting you commit a terrible sin here..." With those words, Axel bit punishingly at Roxas's pink and sore skin and at last managed to rip off what was left of the tight cloth on his boy's body. Longingly, he eyed the pale and wounded skin and without a second thought he trailed his kisses down, down until he tasted blood and salt on his lips.

Roxas hissed and began to scoot his body upward so that Axel's tongue traveled lower on his abdomen. "There..." His fingers tangled up into Axel's hair and guided his head towards his crotch. He wanted him _there_. That's what he wanted.

"_Roxas..._"

"_Nmm..._"

The captain started to pant against Roxas's concealed self and after some agonizing minutes passed, he delicately pulled and pulled until Roxas's legs were exposed to the faint moonlight seeping through the clouds. He bit his lip to try and control himself, but the more he waited, the more tempting Roxas appeared to be. He dove for the boy again, this time pinning his back to a nearby trunk of a palm tree as he groaned in some new wave of desire. He could see Roxas in a new light all of a sudden, and strangely, all his past grudges on the boy had dissipated...

_He just loved this feeling._

"_Yes..._" Roxas hissed beside the captain's ear while he felt his body being pulled up from the ground. Axel dragged his body against Roxas in a slow, painfully slow motion and stopped once Roxas was once again sitting in his arms just like the first time they'd kissed back on Blue. He teased Roxas's skin, dragging the tips of his fingers along the inside of his pale white thighs and licking away the drips of sweat on the underside of his neck. As Roxas's legs moved on either side of Axel, the redhead grunted and pressed his thumbs against the very inner side of his thighs, earning deep trills and a very high pitched moan.

That was perfect.

"Ah!"

He pressed his crotch against Roxas this time. "Ngh..." Ouch. It did hurt a bit...

No time for that. He was so close to his climax by now, and the world was running so fast in his mind. Quickly, Axel slid a hand down to his pants and unbuttoned himself, lowering them only a bit for his member to slide out. He moaned when he touched himself and Roxas barely did the same since he felt the tip rubbing against his own. His cobalt eyes abruptly opened and peered down at Axel. How different he looked...

He looked so comfortable, even while carrying Roxas and pinning him to this tree to the best of his ability. Carefully, he brought both of his hands down to Axel's height and took both sides of his head so that he could turn it upward. Axel seemed shocked by this move and his eyes flashed up at Roxas, for a moment appearing taken aback or disturbed. But when Roxas's softened stare locked onto him, his eyes narrowed and he gently pressed his forehead against Roxas's chest as if he really did appreciate that look.

And he did. He really did.

They hadn't stayed in that position for long. In one slow shift, Axel picked Roxas up only a bit and parted his legs further away from each other as he carefully set him back down on his cock. Surprisingly, Roxas's body didn't react negatively to the incursion and rather he moaned and pulled Axel's head closer to his body so he could feel him breathing alongside his racing heartbeat.

"_Nn...nn..._" he muttered with each deep push inside of him. Soon, the thrusting grew faster and stronger and Roxas sensed his entire body turning into jelly. He parted his wet lips and clawed Axel's back, begging for more without words. Axel found himself scratching at Roxas as well...because he didn't want to lose him, because he didn't want him to leave. As far as he was concerned, at this very moment, Roxas couldn't abandon him. Without Roxas...he'd be nothing. _Nothing_.

"Nn...almost..._Roxas._" Axel whispered, turning his face to look up at the blonde who had his eyes shut and his head turned down. Roxas opened his eyes after a short while and nodded vigorously, letting droplets of sweat and tears fly in ever which way. "Just..._please say it._"

"..._What?_"

"_Ah..._anything."

"A-A..."

"_Louder...say it louder..._"

"_A..._"

Then, right as Roxas opened his mouth to say it, Axel pushed once more—slowly and as deeply as he could—and finally came inside him.

"_A-Axel..._" And then Roxas released.

"...you..."

Roxas blinked and as his chest heaved terribly he looked down with drooping eyes at Axel's face, a question barely escaping his lips. "You—you're what?"

What the captain had muttered next...might have been the last time anyone would hear it, at least in that way—it was said so sincerely, so compassionately, that Roxas was sure that Axel would never reiterate it even for his life. He shook and gasped when Axel began to hold Roxas's body so close to him and nudge his chest with his cheek.

"You...I love _you_. God, I love you, Roxas, I _love you._"

...Should he...believe that?

As he thought about it and listened to Axel repeat those words over and over and over again, the blonde lightly shook his head and felt his eyes sting with tears..._no_.

"No..." he whispered to the dark, a hand covering his eyes. "You don't. _And you can't_, Axel."

There was silence...sweet silence...

The sound of the waves returned; the crickets and the lone humming of insects in the hot forest behind him returned...but the darkness and the eerie sound it had...also remained. But no matter how Roxas tried to contort the feelings and ignore the passion and heat, Axel would always come back. He would always be there to push and push...until finally Roxas would give in.

The redhead lifted his gaze from the ground, turned his eyes upward and once he penetrated those blue eyes, his lips turned up into a smile and he shook his head as he answered:

"Fine. You can _despise me_, you can tear me apart, and you can call me a wretched, cursed _pirate _all the days of your life...And you don't need to love me back...never. I'll never ask you to. But don't deny me...the _honor_ of loving _you_, Roxas. We pirates do lie, but even in the toughest of situations...we speak the truth..._And I have_."

From there, Roxas watched as Axel's nearly closed eyes sparked with the reflection of the sky, and a rare flying star...

...he tiredly drifted off into sleep.

"..._Sleep tight...Roxas._"

* * *

**oy, my hands hurt. and that's not only from typing so much! it's also from the endless hours of guitar heroooooo (and some yoga classes). xD HELL YES. i got the game for christmas and i've been practicing like a mother for the past few months. I CAN FINALLY PLAY EXPERT MODE, HOLY SHITAKE MUSHROOMS ON A STICK. XD hooray for long fingers!**

**ah. it's a really addicting game, i'm not even kidding. like, if i could melt that guitar and the CD, i'm pretty sure that it would turn into some form of a liquid drug. OH, SNAP. but i'm not ashamed! I'M TOTALLY HOOKED ON IT. xD;**

**anyways! hi, guys! i'm back, and i'm really sorry that this is the only story that i've been so active on recently. i'll be getting to the others shortly, i promise you that. -less that 3- i'm pretty much ALL OVER THE PLACE at school, so right now i'm just waiting on my mid winter break in the next, oh, two weeks, and then i'll be on my merry way. it's about time these two had a serious one on one, hah? i was beginning to think that roxas was playing some sort of EXTREME hard to get game.**

**well, that's all i can think of to say. it's too damn early in the morning for me to think coherently. DX other than: "i hope you enjoyed this chapter!111111," i really have nothing else to comment on, your honor.**

**oh, besides this: i ship axel and xion. DO MY SPIDEY SENSES DETECT A FANFIC ARISING?? AH.  
**

**_SEX. now that i have your attention: eat at subway,  
kokoro77_  
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	14. Bastard

**Author's note: wow. just. wow.**

**my eyes hurt. and my head. such is the life of a persistent author, i suppose. hello again! it's has been a while, hasn't it? i'm not very snappy when it comes to spewing out updates, am i? oh, goody, do i win a record or what!? -shot-**

**apologies, apologies, i know you get them a lot from me. i am deeply sorry for this late update, but i hope that this chapter will make up for it? maybe? ugh, it's much to early in the morning for me to make coherent thought strings! BANANA MONKEY BUTTER MUFFINS.**

**so! last time on "...dice," axel and roxas were caught up in a rabid debate with each other! will roxas ever believe axel's words!? will they ever succeed in getting off this damn island!? will roxas ever meet sora again!? WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMIN SAN DIEGO!? FIND OUT IN TODAY'S EPISODE OF...THIS! xD**

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Chapter 14: Bastard

Roxas woke up the next morning with visions of sailing ships and the sound of pirate songs dancing in his head. Dammit. On top of that, his ass hurt...a lot. Oh, what a welcoming feeling.

He tried to adjust his position in the sand, suddenly remembering that he was lying down in sand in the first place, and grumbled when he couldn't find a comfortable spot anymore. The problem with waking up was that falling back asleep quickly or at all was impossible, and so Roxas gave up trying, though he did try_ very _persistently, and ended up lying on his right side, feeling not only sore in places he didn't know he had but preoccupied with emptiness in his mind...and a strange, settling rejuvenation in his stomach.

Shaking slightly, Roxas rolled onto his back and noticed that he was under the shadow of a palm tree—leaves so wide and green, gently swaying up and down to the rhythmic song of the wind against the shades of blue. Blue...colors and sounds, warmth and peace...

Roxas thought he'd died.

But why did the sensations feel so real? Even when he remembered the stinging flesh and the dried blood on his unwashed chest, Roxas felt no disturbance and rather his mind flooded with cold, cold water, numbing the pain and sending welcomed trills up and down his body. Was he cold? Was he hot? He didn't know. Whichever way, whichever feeling, whichever touch or color, Roxas liked it all. On that, the blonde narrowed his eyes and unconsciously smiled.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

Roxas's body didn't move when he heard the voice, something that it'd never done before, and he figured that, if only for this bit of time, he should learn to like that, too. Though he did welcome the sound, Roxas found himself pulled out of his nebula, thinking...and thinking twice about some things, some words, some certain touches that he could still feel hovering on his skin.

Cautiously so as not to hurt himself even more, Roxas sat up, summarily noticing that his pants were on, and stared ahead of him toward the shore. He expected some land, maybe even a boat or two, but all he got was some belligerent and blundering captain, one standing by the water's edge, arms folded and one ankle crossed over the other while he gazed out at the infinite droplets of blue—so statuesque against an ever-moving, ever-spinning world.

It took him a moment, but Roxas did stand up on his own. He had to pull his pants up some since the button wasn't done, but after that little scene he hesitantly set foot onto the hot grains of sand and dragged his bare feet away from the mess of fabric lying in the shadows. His paced slowed when he approached two feet from Axel's left, and he didn't speak when he stopped. Nor did Axel.

What to say? That his ass hurt? Maybe.

Another minute...and Roxas asked one simple, and yet oh so complicated question.

"...Did you mean it?"

Axel didn't seem affected by the question and Roxas assumed that he was either working it out in his brain or he didn't hear it. He kept his head turned to look at Axel with no intentions of repeating the words. He'd stand there all week if he had to. But after he heard a quiet scoff, Roxas realized that he wouldn't have to.

"Mean what?"

"What you said."

"I've said alotta things."

"No, no, what you specifically told me last night. Did you mean that?"

"Sorry?"

Roxas blinked quickly. "You love me." He hadn't said it with compassion, nor with eloquence or desperation, because Roxas wasn't a crazed lover and he certainly wasn't positive as to whether or not there was a right or wrong way to say it. So it just...came out that way—plain and simple like talk over dinner that no one really engaged heartily in. That sort of sound...

That time, Axel shrugged his bare shoulders, Roxas's idea of a dismissive reaction to the comment, and quirked an eyebrow as if he was utterly baffled. "I don't recall ever saying such a thing." Axel then turned to the left to stare at his companion with as much of a poker face as he could pull.

Was he—was he serious? Really?

"I hea—"

"Even if I _said_ it, Roxas," the captain intervened, "I could never've meant it. Those words would've been nothing but empty bullets without 'n ounce of significance."

Just like that, Roxas's world shriveled and began to fall apart at the burned edges. Talk about being blunt.

"O-oh?" Roxas didn't want that to come out as a question, but he knew that it had to. He was actually off-centered with that response, while at the same time he did understand it. Axel had said that he was incapable of feeling, incapable of showing sensitivity toward anyone but himself, and yet the notion sounded like complete bullshit as well. Here was a pirate, led astray, undermined, and made to believe that he truly was lower than _nothing_, cursed, when he had spent all these weeks bothering to find Roxas and talk to him, bothering to protect Roxas and dress up in stupid getups to do so, bothering to _keep him _from greed, bothering to damn well pound him into a damn _tree_, and all he could say was that couldn't _do those things?_

Well, damn.

"Captain," he started offhandedly, "I'm not gonna do it now, maybe not anytime soon, but at one day or another I'll ask you that same question again. And when that day comes, you look me straight in the eye and take the question seriously."

"I really don't think my answer will've changed by then, silly. After all, I'll never lie."

"You are some piece of work, you know that?" Roxas half grumbled and looked away, suddenly sickened to be bickering like this. He still hadn't grown used to the bickering, and he still hadn't grown used to Axel. This life was so convoluted now.

He'll never lie, he'll never lie. What did that even _mean_?

Letting it pass for a bit, Roxas scratched behind his head and started off toward the opposite end of the island—where the pile of wood and the incomplete getaway raft was. Well, last night was all fine and _dandy_, but time for work. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

At first he was walking quickly through the hot sand, shirtless and already dripping with sweat, before his pace slowed and he glanced over his shoulder at his companion when he suddenly called out:

"How are you?"

Roxas's lips parted in shock at the question and he cleared his throat. "Uhm..." Pause. Awkward silence. "I don't...really know." And that was the truth. Roxas's body was just going through too many phases, too many emotions and sensations all in one day, one minute. When was the last time he felt alright? It was then that he realized, as the sand shifted behind him and he felt a light touch on his bare shoulder, that today he would feel alright. Today he would feel somewhat better.

"Sir."

"Your wounds healing properly?" Axel chuckled when the very tips of his fingers traced invisible lines and squiggles on the blonde's skin, and eventually they traveled to the back of his neck where flecks of sparkling sand were stuck in his hair. Every tiny detail on Roxas amused Axel...and every tiny nuance and flaw about him was amazing. With a hand placed flat against Roxas's back, the redhead lowered his eyes and spoke so very _sincerely_...

"And even though I wouldn't've been able t' make those words meaningful, I might've been able t'...tweak the rules a bit. I could try to give them meaning. Hypothetically speaking."

Roxas scoffed, though truthfully the words sounded quite convincing. "Tweak the rules? Of your own nature?"

Axel didn't reply to that and with a quick tap to Roxas's back he walked ahead of the boy toward the other end of the island. Before he'd stepped more than five feet, the captain's head looked up from the ground and he swung his body around so that he was facing Roxas again, this time he was positively _glowing _with a smile.

"Well, come on," he called out. "Get your ass in gear and help me!"

The blonde did feel better...but not quite. Not quite yet. His ass was still in pain.

xxXXxx

It took another two days before the raft was complete. Two days filled with intense heat, intense work, intense movement, and intense company. At first Roxas really had his doubts about ever leaving the island and about surviving in general, but after the first day of building and walking alongside Axel, he came to realize that he was in the company of a very interesting person...so his doubts vanished.

Aside from all those pirate stories of his, Axel had _plenty _more reencounters of life that was, and oddly enough Roxas believed every one of them—every description, every rise and fall of his voice, and even the laughter that accompanied some of the tales. He didn't want Axel to see that he was amused most of the time, so he'd occasionally turn his head the other way to chuckle, but what he'd learned...was that to show emotion was a beautiful gift.

So...he learned to bond.

And yet two questions were still lingering in his mind. _Did he like Axel? Did he trust him?_

How could he bond properly if he couldn't answer those simple questions?

What ever the answer was, it was taking its sweet time to come forth, but at the moment...his only answer was no. A rather quiet no...

"So then I got in trouble for stealin' from the old guy down the street from where I used t' live. 'Course no one ever caught me; I ran too fast for 'em."

"Is there anyone you haven't stolen from?" Roxas asked on the sunset of the second day. He turned to face Axel on his right who was standing with one foot up against the mast of the now completed raft and his arms crossed as he stared out at the purple horizon. The boy was seated at the captain's feet, his legs crossed and his back, too, pressed to the mast. Oddly enough today wasn't a hot day, and the mild tropic air created a languid sunset to admire. The two pushed the raft out onto the shallow tide and let it bob gently with the ebbing and pulling waves. Hm.

Axel looked up at the sky overhead when he replied, "You steal from one, you steal from everyone."

"Enlighten me." Roxas smiled amusedly and gazed up at Axel's face for his answer.

"Simple. Let's use you as an example. I stole you 'way, other people in your town were stolen from as well. Hm...ah! My ol' cap'n stole me years ago, everyone in my town perished. You'd be surprised at how many people can get hurt from one _tiny_ happening."

Roxas frowned and turned his gaze down to the vast water before their tiny raft. "Hm." And that was all he had to say to that...He really didn't want to think about the past. But for whatever the reason, Axel seemed like he wanted to. That was probably why he went on to say such stupid and pointless things.

"...You know," Axel began quietly, running a hand through his hair, "it'd be great to stay here...for longer than this."

The boy's eyes rose at that and he suddenly stopped looking for pictures in the clouds to pay attention to Axel's sudden comment. He noticed that the captain's face had softened and his eyes were positively glistening with the reflection of the water. "What?" Was he really...serious?

Axel lowered his eyes and seemed to take great interest in the ripples on the orange water as he responded. "Freedom's a strange thing, isn't it?"

Slightly taken aback by the sudden question, Roxas narrowed his eyes and swallowed, unsure of what to say or what to do. If Axel was referring to freedom on this island, then he supposed that it was a strange thing. In a sense, the two were very free—free from the ship, free from the hustle and bustle of civilization, but at the same time Axel wasn't entirely that. He still had a terrible curse. Because of that, was this freedom at all satisfactory? And even if it was, would leaving it all behind only end the sensation? Roxas swallowed hard and sadly stared out at the orange glow hanging in the distance.

"So then..."

Roxas twitched when he heard the voice, even though it came out rather soft and suppressed—an odd choice for Axel.

He found that when he looked in the corner of his eye that the captain...had shut his eyes. He really was some piece of work.

"Do we go? Or would you rather we stay?"

The boy sighed and squared his shoulders. "We spent all that time building this raft, you know."

"Let's not forget that one night we slacked off."

"So you _do_ remember!" Roxas flung his arms out over his head and swiveled his body to face Axel properly. "You _do_ remember what we—"

"Do you want to go or not?"

Frustrated, Roxas smeared a hand down his face and nibbled on his lower lip. He could feel the salty air stinging the wound on his neck and caressing the wound on his torso, so he remembered the pain that came from being out there at sea. And because of that, he really did consider jumping off the raft and trudging back up to the jungle...where he'd be safe. But the pain also brought back images of home...and Sora. He...needed him right now. And even if he wouldn't like the dangers up ahead, Roxas figured that for the sake of his brother...

_He would need to endure._

And so, head down and eyes near closed, Roxas curled his toes and nodded to his lap. "We can...still go."

There was a moment of silence between the two, turning the warm sunset into statuesque painting on the wall before finally Roxas felt the raft tilt and he heard a loud sloshing sound coming from his right. He abruptly turned his head and, to his surprise, saw that Axel had sat himself down and was starting to push the raft _away_ from shore with his foot. Roxas reacted immediately with something between a yell and a gasp...which came out sounding like a dying baby seal.

"What the hell are you doing?" he spat, trying to not stand up as the waves shook the raft. Axel merely pushed at the sand with his foot even when his entire calf was nearly submerged in water.

"Ah. Didn't I hear you correctly? You said you wanted t' go."

"Yeah, but I didn't mean _now_!"

"Nope, can't stop now, Roxas. Need to keep movin' else we'll lose light."

"This is why we should leave in the damn morning!"

"But think of the fun we'll have raftin' through the night, ey? Won't that be an adventure? Just you and I, hm?" With those playful words of his, Axel gave the raft once last push before, with a bit of wind and waves, the two of them were off on the tide, the shore of the tiny island growing smaller and smaller as the waves carried them away. Roxas held on tightly to the mast as the raft moved forward, left, right and every other way. He honestly didn't feel like they were going anywhere.

Axel seemed to notice the trouble on the boy's face since he leaned down over his head and started to laugh in amusement. "Still haven't grown those sea legs, have you?"

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows and looked the other direction. "Piss off."

"Gladly. Once we get my ship back, you and I will be back to the way things were."

Hearing that, Roxas pictured 'the way things were'. A cold, moldy old brig surrounded by a bunch of treacherous pirates...

My, how he missed that place.

And as he glanced over his shoulder at the disappearing island—the orange tinted trees and the hot sand covered with his and Axel's footprints—he came to realize that freedom really was a strange thing...and that, sometimes, going back to the way things used to be just wouldn't be right...

He was so free out here, so free to taste the ocean air and escape the twisted roads in a town, but after looking upon Axel's face and touching his wounded skin, Roxas knew that freedom wasn't just about breaking out of the norm and stepping into the light of unknown territory...

It was also about sacrifice.

xxXXxx

_Sora, where's Riku?_

_Riku?_

_Yeah. Haven't seen him in a week. What happened?_

_He told me he's been training up on the beach lately. I dunno, maybe he's too busy to hang out right now._

_Training for what?_

_He hasn't said much about it, really. Just that he's been dyin' t' go out and search for some treasure out in the coves. He's been into that sort of stuff lately._

_I heard he got in trouble for stealing a sword from a shop in the square._

_Did he? Never heard that story before. Wow, he really did?_

_Psh. What kinda friend are you, Sora?_

_Hey, it's not my fault he doesn't tell me these things! What exactly happened to him anyway?_

_I guess he returned the sword, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's still stealing from him._

_Hah. I'd call him a pirate after that story._

xxXXxx

Nighttime fell later than Roxas expected that day, and the cold air quickly set in over the darkness, bringing chills up and down his naked arms and chest. He was starting to regret ever letting Axel rip his shirt off like that. Shivering, he hugged his arms to himself and cuddled closer to the mast as the raft ventured on into what appeared to be a sea of now black ink—thick and murky with a sliver of the moon appearing on its body. Axel didn't seem to mind the sight, though, and happily paddled through with a large branch that they'd found floating along the water some hours ago.

Roxas tried to keep his chin buried in his knees when he suddenly broke the silence. "Are you sure we're going the right way?"

He heard Axel mumble something back incoherently and took that as an unsure yes. Oh, goody. The two had been oddly silence since they left the island, and Roxas had to accept that there were certain times when Axel just didn't have anything to say. That didn't necessarily mean that he didn't _want_ to speak to Roxas, just that there really wasn't anything of importance to bring up.

Still, he wished that he would've taken the liberty to ask how he was. After all, he never answered him properly when he'd asked it earlier that day.

He sighed into his arms and as he looked up he noticed that a sliver of the moon had ducked behind a blanket of dark clouds, leaving the open water pitch black and lifelessly cold. Roxas briefly shut his eyes and tried to find imagine a different world where he would feel comfortable, but found that increasingly difficult as Axel suddenly began to whisper nonsense to himself. Irritably, the boy shot his head up and turned to the right where he heard the whispering and the sloshing of the water.

"What're you saying?"

No response. Ugh, this was too suspenseful. It was always about riddles and secrets with Axel. Nothing he ever said or did made perfect sense. As he thought about it, Roxas continued to watch the back of Axel's head, counting every paddle and every breath carefully in his head before, to his extreme surprise, the raft lurched violently backward and he fell onto his back from impact. Stunned, Roxas peered around at the endless black above him and held a hand over his chest—underneath his skin his heart was beating rapidly. He was sure he was about to die...

He clicked his tongue as he sat up and stared ahead, still unable to see a damn thing in all this darkness. "Axel," he panted, "where the hell are we?" His voice escaped him rather loudly and afraid.

His only response was a subdued shush; nothing more, nothing less. Oh, he'd had _enough_ of this silence! Roxas slammed a fist down on the raft. Did he know where they were going or not? They might as well have been wandering around in mist.

"If you won't tell me—!"

"_I will ask you once more, understand?_"

"_As if tha' would change my answer!_"

"_Silence!_"

Wait...that voice. _Those voices_...Where? Was he hearing correctly?

Roxas's heartbeat quickened to the point where his muscles began to ache and clumsily he stumbled to his knees and looked around for the source of the voices. The raft felt as if it had frozen in space and the waves carrying it forward had ceased to flow. With his eyes wide and his fingers shaking, Roxas moved toward Axel's side of the raft as cautiously as possible and blindly felt the wood below him to make sure he wouldn't end up falling into the sea.

"Hey..."

"Don't move."

He reacted instantly and froze in place, his hand still outstretched into thin air. Thinking about it, Axel's voice sounded serious, void of all emotion and slick as the cutting edge of a blade. Something was happening around them—he could feel it in the pit of his stomach—but he couldn't explain why his instinct was telling him to turn around and run, run, run. Perhaps this was the pirate side talking. No, no...

Roxas's thoughts ended when he felt fingers clamp down on his right shoulder and squeeze so tightly.

"Listen. I've found the ship."

"What?" Roxas asked, exasperated.

"We've just hit it."

Blue eyes vacantly scanned the empty, thick night air before ever-slowly moving to the left where the front of raft was. Somewhere in all that darkness was the ship they'd been searching for, and according to Axel it was merely an inch away. His skin tingled and his muscles contracted in his ribs when he imagined its horrifying, dark and wounded body, but he swallowed down his anxiousness to properly speak.

"What...are you saying we do now?" he asked, unsure of his question. That's when he felt breath beside his ear and the tickle of loose locks of hair on his cheek as Axel whispered a plan so lucidly that it might have passed off as a well kept secret...or even a seductive suggestion. And so the enduring became a bit harder to do.

"...We'll need to sneak aboard the ship, understand?"

Roxas nodded and shut his eyes.

"We're at her stern—that's the back end, savvy? Keep up with the nautical terms if you don't want to die."

"The—"

"Shh! I'll do the talking, ey? Now, I'll go ahead of you on this end here and we'll make it up to the deck as quiet as a mouse. Not loud. _Quiet_. From there I want you to follow me as quickly and fluidly as possible so we don't get nabbed by whoever is up there invading my ship."

"Invading?"

Axel shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. Someone's come up on deck, can't you hear? Moving on, if you please. I want for you to stay hidden behind the mast. Under no circumstances may you poke your pretty little head from behind out of sheer, uncontrollable _curiosity_, 'cause if you do then the odds of you not getting your head shot off seem pretty high, mate. But if you _must_ see the show then keep low to the ground and flatten yourself out. Aye?"

"What'll you do?"

"That depends on the bloke threatenin' my ship."

"If it's that man again?" Roxas added hastily to which Axel chuckled.

"It was nice knowing you, I suppose."

The blonde blinked just as the redhead pushed away and immediately went toward the ship to climb up a dangling rope toward the deck. Roxas nearly panicked at that and in a struggle to remember the captain's plan he rose to his feet, swayed, and jumped forward to climb up as well. The air around him suddenly became extremely warm, but his body remained so very cold. He swore his blood wad running like ice water through his veins as he struggled to keep a firm grip on the rope.

Darkness was a cursed thing...

And what in the hell was Axel implying? That they'd..._die_? As much as Roxas didn't want to think about bloodshed, his wounds, still fresh and aching since the day they appeared, stung terribly when both voices resounded in the shadows from seemingly all directions.

"_You're a fool to lie to me._"

"_Call me what you want._"

"_Tell me. What did you hope to gain from your actions? What could you _possibly _gain from them?_"

"_...Freedom, ya bastard._"

Freedom...

Roxas now recognized that gruff voice as Xigbar's and just as he felt the cold surface of the deck under his fingertips, he froze when he pulled himself up and wanted desperately to jump back down onto the raft and wait for the sun to rise. If he had to face Xigbar again...he was sure he'd be killed. No hesitation. One look at Roxas and Xigbar would pull the trigger. He pulled his legs up on deck and watched Axel tiptoe further away into the dark through heavy eyes. Don't lose sight of him.

All his senses were alert now, causing ripples to move across the surface of his wet skin. The coldness of the air whipped mercilessly at Roxas's exposed back, howling meaningless phrases and words that only darkness could supply. He felt as if eyes were watching him from all directions and he wanted more than anything to run...

"Roxas, down here. Stay here."

Immediately he gasped and shot forward to the floor where he crouched low beside the captain's body and pressed his forehead against the wet surface of the wooden mast. He shivered, the world fell into perfect stillness, and all at once Axel slowly prowled away from the protection of the mast, away from Roxas, and the boy...disobeyed.

Quietly he followed at the captain's heel, unbeknownst to Axel, and felt a wave of comfort upon spotting a bit of dying candlelight up ahead. But there wasn't much comfort in seeing what was under the candlelight...

Red. Nothing but dark red appeared under the flickering of the orange light. Roxas squinted...and at once covered his lips to keep from yelling. The smell of blood was thick in the air, so thick that he was sure he'd stepped into the site of a massacre. Even as Axel ventured on down the stairs toward the blood, Roxas stayed put at the top of the flight and held his breath. He could feel the liquid on his skin, on his fingertips, and everywhere he looked he pictured blood hiding in the blanket of darkness. No doubt there were bodies as well...

"So then. You're freedom never came." That voice again...

Where had he heard it before?

Roxas didn't realize that he'd find out soon enough.

As soon as the speaker finished his sentence, the candlelight burned brighter and two faces emerged. One was unmistakably Xigbar's—he appeared close to fainting with his head hanging down at an angle and his face positively dripping in sweat and streaks of dried blood. He was smiling weakly as his body remained pinned against a wall by an unknown person with their back turned. But, as soon as Roxas heard Axel reach the final stair, the stranger's head turned...and Roxas felt death's touch in their stare.

"...Riku?"

Riku stood as still as a statue, still holding Xigbar against a wall while he indifferently stared in Axel's direction. The light wasn't bright enough to reach Axel, though, so Roxas had a feeling that he hadn't been spotted. Still, in those eyes he could see Riku was positively sure someone was moving. Riku. Sora's...best friend? What business did he have here? All the way out _here_? With _pirates_? He wanted to ask so badly, but his voice kept caged in his throat.

"Captain." Riku's monotonous voice sliced through the air to beautifully. Captain? No, no, he knew, he knew. He knew Axel was there! "This ship will be mine."

"You'd better watch what you wish for, mate," Axel hissed.

Riku's silver hair glistened in the light and underneath his bangs his sapphire eyes sparked with rage as his voice, dripping with hatred and murder, whispered, "..._I'll kill you._"

With those words the candlelight died completely...and darkness prevailed.

"_RIKU, NO!!_"

* * *

**believe it or not, i had a hard time coming up with a conclusion for this chapter, because i really, really want to get to the next one right away, so it was hard to come up with a satisfying transition sequence. MY BRAIN IS ON FIRE, I SWEAR.**

**finally spring is in the air, frogs are croaking outside my window, and my school year is almost over in a couple of months. i've been waiting for that day to come ever since the beginning of the school year, and let me tell you, i'm just so tempted to run into the mountains and hide there in some random cottage until summer starts. that way i don't have to deal with missing out on fanfiction opportunities anymore! OH, DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING!? Dx but enough about that nonsense!**

**what really inspired me to continue writing and writing was, well, the latest kingdom hearts news floating around. i'm so excited for may 30th when 358 over 2 comes out! MOAR CANON I CAN HAZ PLZ? seriously! isn't anyone else pumped for this? xD can i get a whoop whoop? no? well, anyway...(whoop whoop!)  
**

**i do hope that this chapter was enough for at least some of you! it did come out a bit on the short side (that's what she said), but i'm hoping the next chapter will be, ah, what's the word...? fantastical? uhm...yeah. poor roxas! poor axel! RIKU HAS ARRIVED! WHAT WILL OUR BRAVEE PIRATES DO, YOU ASK? tune in next time for the exciting adventures of...THIS!**

**_oh, yes. there will be blood,  
kokoro77_  
**


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